bpo-43908: Document Static Types in the C API

Doc/c-api/type.rst

@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ Type Objects
 
    .. versionchanged:: 3.10
       :c:func:`PyType_GetSlot` can now accept all types.
-      Previously, it was limited to heap types.
+      Previously, it was limited to :ref:`heap types <heap-types>`.
 
 .. c:function:: PyObject* PyType_GetModule(PyTypeObject *type)
 
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ The following functions and structs are used to create
 
 .. c:function:: PyObject* PyType_FromModuleAndSpec(PyObject *module, PyType_Spec *spec, PyObject *bases)
 
-   Creates and returns a heap type object from the *spec*
+   Creates and returns a :ref:`heap type <heap-types>` from the *spec*
    (:const:`Py_TPFLAGS_HEAPTYPE`).
 
    The *bases* argument can be used to specify base classes; it can either

Doc/c-api/typeobj.rst

@@ -486,12 +486,16 @@ type objects) *must* have the :attr:`ob_size` field.
              PyObject* PyObject._ob_prev
 
    These fields are only present when the macro ``Py_TRACE_REFS`` is defined.
-   Their initialization to ``NULL`` is taken care of by the ``PyObject_HEAD_INIT``
-   macro.  For statically allocated objects, these fields always remain ``NULL``.
-   For dynamically allocated objects, these two fields are used to link the object
-   into a doubly-linked list of *all* live objects on the heap.  This could be used
-   for various debugging purposes; currently the only use is to print the objects
-   that are still alive at the end of a run when the environment variable
+
+   Their initialization to ``NULL`` is taken care of by the
+   ``PyObject_HEAD_INIT`` macro.  For :ref:`statically allocated objects
+   <static-types>`, these fields always remain ``NULL``.  For :ref:`dynamically
+   allocated objects <heap-types>`, these two fields are used to link the
+   object into a doubly-linked list of *all* live objects on the heap.
+
+   This could be used for various debugging purposes; currently the only uses
+   are the :func:`sys.getobjects` function and to print the objects that are
+   still alive at the end of a run when the environment variable
    :envvar:`PYTHONDUMPREFS` is set.
 
    **Inheritance:**
@@ -502,10 +506,11 @@ type objects) *must* have the :attr:`ob_size` field.
 .. c:member:: Py_ssize_t PyObject.ob_refcnt
 
    This is the type object's reference count, initialized to ``1`` by the
-   ``PyObject_HEAD_INIT`` macro.  Note that for statically allocated type objects,
-   the type's instances (objects whose :attr:`ob_type` points back to the type) do
-   *not* count as references.  But for dynamically allocated type objects, the
-   instances *do* count as references.
+   ``PyObject_HEAD_INIT`` macro.  Note that for :ref:`statically allocated type
+   objects <static-types>`, the type's instances (objects whose :attr:`ob_type`
+   points back to the type) do *not* count as references.  But for
+   :ref:`dynamically allocated type objects <heap-types>`, the instances *do*
+   count as references.
 
    **Inheritance:**
 
@@ -540,8 +545,9 @@ PyVarObject Slots
 
 .. c:member:: Py_ssize_t PyVarObject.ob_size
 
-   For statically allocated type objects, this should be initialized to zero.  For
-   dynamically allocated type objects, this field has a special internal meaning.
+   For :ref:`statically allocated type objects <static-types>`, this should be
+   initialized to zero. For :ref:`dynamically allocated type objects
+   <heap-types>`, this field has a special internal meaning.
 
    **Inheritance:**
 
@@ -566,11 +572,13 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
    :class:`T` defined in module :mod:`M` in subpackage :mod:`Q` in package :mod:`P`
    should have the :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_name` initializer ``"P.Q.M.T"``.
 
-   For dynamically allocated type objects, this should just be the type name, and
+   For :ref:`dynamically allocated type objects <heap-types>`,
+   this should just be the type name, and
    the module name explicitly stored in the type dict as the value for key
    ``'__module__'``.
 
-   For statically allocated type objects, the tp_name field should contain a dot.
+   For :ref:`statically allocated type objects <static-types>`,
+   the *tp_name* field should contain a dot.
    Everything before the last dot is made accessible as the :attr:`__module__`
    attribute, and everything after the last dot is made accessible as the
    :attr:`~definition.__name__` attribute.
@@ -725,7 +733,7 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
    always inherited. If it's not, then the subclass won't use
    :ref:`vectorcall <vectorcall>`, except when
    :c:func:`PyVectorcall_Call` is explicitly called.
-   This is in particular the case for `heap types`_
+   This is in particular the case for :ref:`heap types <heap-types>`
    (including subclasses defined in Python).
 
 
@@ -1116,7 +1124,7 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
 
       **Inheritance:**
 
-      This flag is never inherited by heap types.
+      This flag is never inherited by :ref:`heap types <heap-types>`.
       For extension types, it is inherited whenever
       :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_descr_get` is inherited.
 
@@ -1163,9 +1171,9 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
 
       **Inheritance:**
 
-      This bit is inherited for *static* subtypes if
+      This bit is inherited for :ref:`static subtypes <static-types>` if
       :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_call` is also inherited.
-      `Heap types`_ do not inherit ``Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_VECTORCALL``.
+      :ref:`Heap types <heap-types>` do not inherit ``Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_VECTORCALL``.
 
       .. versionadded:: 3.9
 
@@ -1181,7 +1189,8 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
 
       This bit is set for type objects that are immutable: type attributes cannot be set nor deleted.
 
-      :c:func:`PyType_Ready` automatically applies this flag to static types.
+      :c:func:`PyType_Ready` automatically applies this flag to
+      :ref:`static types <static-types>`.
 
       **Inheritance:**
 
@@ -1250,9 +1259,8 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
    :c:func:`local_traverse` to have these specific names; don't name them just
    anything.
 
-   Heap-allocated types (:const:`Py_TPFLAGS_HEAPTYPE`, such as those created
-   with :c:func:`PyType_FromSpec` and similar APIs) hold a reference to their
-   type. Their traversal function must therefore either visit
+   Instances of :ref:`heap-allocated types <heap-types>` hold a reference to
+   their type. Their traversal function must therefore either visit
    :c:func:`Py_TYPE(self) <Py_TYPE>`, or delegate this responsibility by
    calling ``tp_traverse`` of another heap-allocated type (such as a
    heap-allocated superclass).
@@ -1667,8 +1675,8 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
 
    **Default:**
 
-   This slot has no default.  For static types, if the field is
-   ``NULL`` then no :attr:`__dict__` gets created for instances.
+   This slot has no default.  For :ref:`static types <static-types>`, if the
+   field is ``NULL`` then no :attr:`__dict__` gets created for instances.
 
 
 .. c:member:: initproc PyTypeObject.tp_init
@@ -1703,7 +1711,7 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
 
    **Default:**
 
-   For static types this field does not have a default.
+   For :ref:`static types <static-types>` this field does not have a default.
 
 
 .. c:member:: allocfunc PyTypeObject.tp_alloc
@@ -1754,14 +1762,15 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
 
    **Inheritance:**
 
-   This field is inherited by subtypes, except it is not inherited by static types
-   whose :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_base` is ``NULL`` or ``&PyBaseObject_Type``.
+   This field is inherited by subtypes, except it is not inherited by
+   :ref:`static types <static-types>` whose :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_base`
+   is ``NULL`` or ``&PyBaseObject_Type``.
 
    **Default:**
 
-   For static types this field has no default.  This means if the
-   slot is defined as ``NULL``, the type cannot be called to create new
-   instances; presumably there is some other way to create
+   For :ref:`static types <static-types>` this field has no default.
+   This means if the slot is defined as ``NULL``, the type cannot be called
+   to create new instances; presumably there is some other way to create
    instances, like a factory function.
 
 
@@ -1803,7 +1812,7 @@ and :c:type:`PyType_Type` effectively act as defaults.)
 
    (The only example of this are types themselves.  The metatype,
    :c:data:`PyType_Type`, defines this function to distinguish between statically
-   and dynamically allocated types.)
+   and :ref:`dynamically allocated types <heap-types>`.)
 
    **Inheritance:**
 
@@ -1949,10 +1958,10 @@ objects on the thread which called tp_dealloc will not violate any assumptions
 of the library.
 
 
-.. _heap-types:
+.. _static-types:
 
-Heap Types
-----------
+Static Types
+------------
 
 Traditionally, types defined in C code are *static*, that is,
 a static :c:type:`PyTypeObject` structure is defined directly in code
@@ -1972,12 +1981,20 @@ Also, since :c:type:`PyTypeObject` is not part of the :ref:`stable ABI <stable>`
 any extension modules using static types must be compiled for a specific
 Python minor version.
 
-An alternative to static types is *heap-allocated types*, or *heap types*
-for short, which correspond closely to classes created by Python's
-``class`` statement.
+
+.. _heap-types:
+
+Heap Types
+----------
+
+An alternative to :ref:`static types <static-types>` is *heap-allocated types*,
+or *heap types* for short, which correspond closely to classes created by
+Python's ``class`` statement. Heap types have the :const:`Py_TPFLAGS_HEAPTYPE`
+flag set.
 
 This is done by filling a :c:type:`PyType_Spec` structure and calling
-:c:func:`PyType_FromSpecWithBases`.
+:c:func:`PyType_FromSpec`, :c:func:`PyType_FromSpecWithBases`,
+or :c:func:`PyType_FromModuleAndSpec`.
 
 
 .. _number-structs:
@@ -2489,7 +2506,7 @@ include common usage you may encounter.  Some demonstrate tricky corner
 cases.  For more examples, practical info, and a tutorial, see
 :ref:`defining-new-types` and :ref:`new-types-topics`.
 
-A basic static type::
+A basic :ref:`static type <static-types>`::
 
    typedef struct {
        PyObject_HEAD
@@ -2596,7 +2613,7 @@ to create instances (e.g. uses a separate factory func)::
        .tp_repr = (reprfunc)myobj_repr,
    };
 
-The simplest static type (with fixed-length instances)::
+The simplest :ref:`static type <static-types>` with fixed-length instances::
 
    typedef struct {
        PyObject_HEAD
@@ -2607,7 +2624,7 @@ The simplest static type (with fixed-length instances)::
        .tp_name = "mymod.MyObject",
    };
 
-The simplest static type (with variable-length instances)::
+The simplest :ref:`static type <static-types>` with variable-length instances::
 
    typedef struct {
        PyObject_VAR_HEAD

Doc/includes/typestruct.h

@@ -35,12 +35,14 @@ typedef struct _typeobject {
 
     const char *tp_doc; /* Documentation string */
 
+    /* Assigned meaning in release 2.0 */
     /* call function for all accessible objects */
     traverseproc tp_traverse;
 
     /* delete references to contained objects */
     inquiry tp_clear;
 
+    /* Assigned meaning in release 2.1 */
     /* rich comparisons */
     richcmpfunc tp_richcompare;
 
@@ -55,6 +57,7 @@ typedef struct _typeobject {
     struct PyMethodDef *tp_methods;
     struct PyMemberDef *tp_members;
     struct PyGetSetDef *tp_getset;
+    // Strong reference on a heap type, borrowed reference on a static type
     struct _typeobject *tp_base;
     PyObject *tp_dict;
     descrgetfunc tp_descr_get;
@@ -76,5 +79,5 @@ typedef struct _typeobject {
     unsigned int tp_version_tag;
 
     destructor tp_finalize;
-
+    vectorcallfunc tp_vectorcall;
 } PyTypeObject;

Doc/whatsnew/3.10.rst

@@ -1668,7 +1668,8 @@ New Features
   slot.
   (Contributed by Hai Shi in :issue:`41832`.)
 
-* The :c:func:`PyType_GetSlot` function can accept static types.
+* The :c:func:`PyType_GetSlot` function can accept
+  :ref:`static types <static-types>`.
   (Contributed by Hai Shi and Petr Viktorin in :issue:`41073`.)
 
 * Add a new :c:func:`PySet_CheckExact` function to the C-API to check if an

Doc/whatsnew/3.8.rst

@@ -352,7 +352,8 @@ PEP 590: Vectorcall: a fast calling protocol for CPython
 :ref:`vectorcall` is added to the Python/C API.
 It is meant to formalize existing optimizations which were already done
 for various classes.
-Any static type implementing a callable can use this protocol.
+Any :ref:`static type <static-types>` implementing a callable can use this
+protocol.
 
 This is currently provisional.
 The aim is to make it fully public in Python 3.9.
@@ -2040,7 +2041,7 @@ Changes in the C API
   This makes types created through :c:func:`PyType_FromSpec` behave like
   other classes in managed code.
 
-  Statically allocated types are not affected.
+  :ref:`Statically allocated types <static-types>` are not affected.
 
   For the vast majority of cases, there should be no side effect.
   However, types that manually increase the reference count after allocating

Doc/whatsnew/3.9.rst

@@ -1124,7 +1124,7 @@ Changes in the Python API
 Changes in the C API
 --------------------
 
-* Instances of heap-allocated types (such as those created with
+* Instances of :ref:`heap-allocated types <heap-types>` (such as those created with
   :c:func:`PyType_FromSpec` and similar APIs) hold a reference to their type
   object since Python 3.8. As indicated in the "Changes in the C API" of Python
   3.8, for the vast majority of cases, there should be no side effect but for
@@ -1147,7 +1147,8 @@ Changes in the C API
 
   If your traverse function delegates to ``tp_traverse`` of its base class
   (or another type), ensure that ``Py_TYPE(self)`` is visited only once.
-  Note that only heap types are expected to visit the type in ``tp_traverse``.
+  Note that only :ref:`heap type <heap-types>` are expected to visit the type
+  in ``tp_traverse``.
 
     For example, if your ``tp_traverse`` function includes:
 
@@ -1160,7 +1161,7 @@ Changes in the C API
     .. code-block:: c
 
         #if PY_VERSION_HEX >= 0x03090000
-            // This was not needed before Python 3.9 (Python issue 35810 and 40217)
+            // This was not needed before Python 3.9 (bpo-35810 and bpo-40217)
             if (base->tp_flags & Py_TPFLAGS_HEAPTYPE) {
                 // a heap type's tp_traverse already visited Py_TYPE(self)
             } else {

Include/cpython/object.h

@@ -186,6 +186,8 @@ typedef struct {
  * backwards-compatibility */
 typedef Py_ssize_t printfunc;
 
+// If this structure is modified, Doc/includes/typestruct.h should be updated
+// as well.
 struct _typeobject {
     PyObject_VAR_HEAD
     const char *tp_name; /* For printing, in format "<module>.<name>" */