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106 lines
4.2 KiB
TeX
106 lines
4.2 KiB
TeX
\section{\module{gc} ---
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Garbage Collector interface}
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\declaremodule{extension}{gc}
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\moduleauthor{Neil Schemenauer}{nascheme@enme.ucalgary.ca}
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\sectionauthor{Neil Schemenauer}{nascheme@enme.ucalgary.ca}
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This module provides an interface to the optional garbage collector.
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It provides the ability to disable the collector, tune the collection
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frequency, and set debugging options. It also provides access to
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unreachable objects that the collector found but cannot free. Since
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the collector supplements the reference counting already used in
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Python, you can disable the collector if you are sure your program
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does not create reference cycles. The collector can be disabled by
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calling \code{gc.set_threshold(0)}. To debug a leaking program call
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\code{gc.set_debug(gc.DEBUG_LEAK)}.
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The \module{gc} module provides the following functions:
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\begin{funcdesc}{collect}{}
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Run a full collection. All generations are examined and the
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number of unreachable objects found is returned.
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\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{set_debug}{flags}
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Set the garbage collection debugging flags.
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Debugging information will be written to \code{sys.stderr}. See below
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for a list of debugging flags which can be combined using bit
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operations to control debugging.
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\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{get_debug}{}
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Return the debugging flags currently set.
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\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{set_threshold}{threshold0\optional{,
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threshold1\optional{, threshold2}}}
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Set the garbage collection thresholds (the collection frequency).
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Setting \var{threshold0} to zero disables collection.
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The GC classifies objects into three generations depending on how many
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collection sweeps they have survived. New objects are placed in the
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youngest generation (generation \code{0}). If an object survives a
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collection it is moved into the next older generation. Since
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generation \code{2} is the oldest generation, objects in that
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generation remain there after a collection. In order to decide when
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to run, the collector keeps track of the number object allocations and
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deallocations since the last collection. When the number of
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allocations minus the number of deallocations exceeds
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\var{threshold0}, collection starts. Initially only generation
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\code{0} is examined. If generation \code{0} has been examined more
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than \var{threshold1} times since generation \code{1} has been
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examined, then generation \code{1} is examined as well. Similarly,
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\var{threshold2} controls the number of collections of generation
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\code{1} before collecting generation \code{2}.
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\end{funcdesc}
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\begin{funcdesc}{get_threshold}{}
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Return the current collection thresholds as a tuple of
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\code{(\var{threshold0}, \var{threshold1}, \var{threshold2})}.
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\end{funcdesc}
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The following variable is provided for read-only access:
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\begin{datadesc}{garbage}
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A list of objects which the collector found to be unreachable
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but could not be freed (uncollectable objects). Objects that have
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\method{__del__()} methods and create part of a reference cycle cause
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the entire reference cycle to be uncollectable.
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\end{datadesc}
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The following constants are provided for use with
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\function{set_debug()}:
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\begin{datadesc}{DEBUG_STATS}
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Print statistics during collection. This information can
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be useful when tuning the collection frequency.
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\end{datadesc}
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\begin{datadesc}{DEBUG_COLLECTABLE}
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Print information on collectable objects found.
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\end{datadesc}
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\begin{datadesc}{DEBUG_UNCOLLECTABLE}
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Print information of uncollectable objects found (objects which are
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not reachable but cannot be freed by the collector). These objects
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will be added to the \code{garbage} list.
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\end{datadesc}
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\begin{datadesc}{DEBUG_INSTANCES}
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When \constant{DEBUG_COLLECTABLE} or \constant{DEBUG_UNCOLLECTABLE} is
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set, print information about instance objects found.
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\end{datadesc}
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\begin{datadesc}{DEBUG_OBJECTS}
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When \constant{DEBUG_COLLECTABLE} or \constant{DEBUG_UNCOLLECTABLE} is
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set, print information about objects other than instance objects found.
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\end{datadesc}
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\begin{datadesc}{DEBUG_LEAK}
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The debugging flags necessary for the collector to print
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information about a leaking program (equal to \code{DEBUG_COLLECTABLE |
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DEBUG_UNCOLLECTABLE | DEBUG_INSTANCES | DEBUG_OBJECTS}).
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\end{datadesc}
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