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<title>3. Python Runtime Services
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<H1><A NAME=
"SECTION005000000000000000000"></A><A NAME=
"python"></A>
3. Python Runtime Services
The modules described in this chapter provide a wide range of services
related to the Python interpreter and its interaction with its
environment. Here's an overview:
<table class='synopsistable' valign='baseline'
>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-sys.html'
>sys
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Access system-specific parameters and functions.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-gc.html'
>gc
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Interface to the cycle-detecting garbage collector.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-weakref.html'
>weakref
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Support for weak references and weak dictionaries.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-fpectl.html'
>fpectl
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Provide control for floating point exception handling.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-atexit.html'
>atexit
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Register and execute cleanup functions.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-types.html'
>types
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Names for built-in types.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-UserDict.html'
>UserDict
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Class wrapper for dictionary objects.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-UserList.html'
>UserList
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Class wrapper for list objects.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-UserString.html'
>UserString
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Class wrapper for string objects.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-operator.html'
>operator
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>All Python's standard operators as built-in functions.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-inspect.html'
>inspect
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Extract information and source code from live objects.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-traceback.html'
>traceback
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Print or retrieve a stack traceback.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-linecache.html'
>linecache
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>This module provides random access to individual lines
from text files.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-pickle.html'
>pickle
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Convert Python objects to streams of bytes and back.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-cPickle.html'
>cPickle
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Faster version of
<tt class=
"module"><a href=
"module-pickle.html">pickle
</a></tt>, but not subclassable.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-copyreg.html'
>copy_reg
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Register
<tt class=
"module">pickle
</tt> support functions.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-shelve.html'
>shelve
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Python object persistence.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-copy.html'
>copy
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Shallow and deep copy operations.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-marshal.html'
>marshal
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Convert Python objects to streams of bytes and back
(with different constraints).
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-warnings.html'
>warnings
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Issue warning messages and control their disposition.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-imp.html'
>imp
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Access the implementation of the
<tt class=
"keyword">import
</tt> statement.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-zipimport.html'
>zipimport
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>support for importing Python modules from ZIP archives.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-pkgutil.html'
>pkgutil
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Utilities to support extension of packages.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-modulefinder.html'
>modulefinder
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Find modules used by a script.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-code.html'
>code
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Base classes for interactive Python interpreters.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-codeop.html'
>codeop
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Compile (possibly incomplete) Python code.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-pprint.html'
>pprint
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Data pretty printer.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-repr.html'
>repr
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Alternate
<tt class=
"function">repr()
</tt> implementation with size limits.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-new.html'
>new
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Interface to the creation of runtime implementation objects.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-site.html'
>site
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>A standard way to reference site-specific modules.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-user.html'
>user
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>A standard way to reference user-specific modules.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-builtin.html'
>__builtin__
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>The module that provides the built-in namespace.
</td></tr>
<td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-main.html'
>__main__
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>The environment where the top-level script is run.
</td></tr>
<tr><td><b><tt class='module'
><a href='module-future.html'
>__future__
</a></tt></b></td>
<td class='synopsis'
>Future statement definitions
</td></tr>
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<span class=
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2.4.2, documentation updated on
28 September
2005.
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