C API Reference¶

This manual documents the API used by C and C++ programmers who want to write extension modules that use pycairo.

Pycairo Compiler Flags¶

To compile a Python extension using Pycairo you need to know where Pycairo and cairo are located and what flags to pass to the compiler and linker.

Variant:
Only available since version 1.16.0.

While Pycairo installs a pkg-config file, in case of virtualenvs, installation to the user directory or when using wheels/eggs, pkg-config will not be able to locate the .pc file. The get_include() function should work in all cases, as long as Pycairo is in your Python search path.
Compiler Flags:
python -c "import cairo; print(cairo.get_include())"

pkg-config --cflags cairo
Linker Flags:
pkg-config --libs cairo
Variant:
This works with older versions, but with the limitations mentioned above. Use it as a fallback if you want to support older versions or if your module does not require virtualenv/pip support.
Compiler Flags:
pkg-config --cflags pycairo or pkg-config --cflags py3cairo
Linker Flags:
pkg-config --libs pycairo or pkg-config --libs py3cairo

To access the Pycairo C API under Python 2¶

Edit the client module file to add the following lines:

/* All function, type and macro definitions needed to use the Pycairo/C API
 * are included in your code by the following line
 */
#include "pycairo.h"

/* define a variable for the C API */
Pycairo_CAPI_t *Pycairo_CAPI;

/* import pycairo - add to the init<module> function */
Pycairo_IMPORT;

In case you want to use the API from another compilation unit:

#include <pycairo.h>

extern Pycairo_CAPI_t *Pycairo_CAPI;

...

To access the Pycairo C API under Python 3¶

Example showing how to import the pycairo API:

#include "py3cairo.h"

PyMODINIT_FUNC
PyInit_client(void)
{
  PyObject *m;

  m = PyModule_Create(&clientmodule);
  if (m == NULL)
      return NULL;
  if (import_cairo() < 0)
      return NULL;
  /* additional initialization can happen here */
  return m;
}

In case you want to use the API from another compilation unit:

#define PYCAIRO_NO_IMPORT
#include <py3cairo.h>

...

New in version 1.17.0: The PYCAIRO_NO_IMPORT macro is used since 1.17.0

Misc Functions¶

int Pycairo_Check_Status(cairo_status_t status)¶

Parameters

status (cairo_status_t) –

Returns

-1 in case of an error, otherwise 0. Sets an exception in case of an error.

Takes a status value and converts it to an exception if it represents an error status.

Cairo Context¶

typedef PyObject PycairoContext¶

cairo_t *PycairoContext.ctx¶: The wrapped cairo_t

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoContext_Type¶

cairo_t * PycairoContext_GET(PycairoContext *obj)

Parameters

obj (PycairoContext) –

Returns

cairo_t [transfer none]

Get the cairo_t object out of the PycairoContext.

PyObject *PycairoContext_FromContext(cairo_t *ctx, PyTypeObject *type, PyObject *base)¶

Parameters

ctx (cairo_t) – a cairo_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. It is unreferenced if the PycairoContext creation fails, or if the cairo_t has an error status. [transfer full]
type (PyTypeObject) – a pointer to the type to instantiate. It can be &PycairoContext_Type, or a PycairoContext_Type subtype. (cairo.Context or a cairo.Context subclass) [transfer none]
base (PyObject) – the base object used to create the context, or NULL. it is referenced to keep it alive while the cairo_t is being used [transfer none]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoContext from a cairo_t

Cairo Font Face¶

typedef PyObject PycairoFontFace¶

cairo_font_face_t *PycairoFontFace.font_face¶

The wrapped cairo_font_face_t

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoFontFace_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoFontFace_FromFontFace(cairo_font_face_t *font_face)¶

Parameters

font_face (cairo_font_face_t) – a cairo_font_face_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. it is unreferenced if the PycairoFontFace creation fails [transfer full]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoFontFace from a cairo_font_face_t

typedef PycairoFontFace PycairoToyFontFace¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoToyFontFace_Type¶

Cairo Font Options¶

typedef PyObject PycairoFontOptions¶

cairo_font_options_t *PycairoFontOptions.font_options¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoFontOptions_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoFontOptions_FromFontOptions(cairo_font_options_t *font_options)¶

Parameters

font_options (cairo_font_options_t) – a cairo_font_options_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. it is unreferenced if the PycairoFontOptions creation fails [transfer full]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoFontOptions from a cairo_font_options_t

Cairo Matrix¶

typedef PyObject PycairoMatrix¶

cairo_matrix_t PycairoMatrix.matrix¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoMatrix_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoMatrix_FromMatrix(const cairo_matrix_t *matrix)¶

Parameters

matrix (cairo_matrix_t) – a cairo_matrix_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. the cairo_matrix_t values are copied. [transfer none]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoMatrix from a cairo_matrix_t

Cairo Path¶

typedef PyObject PycairoPath¶

cairo_path_t *PycairoPath.path¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoPath_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoPath_FromPath(cairo_path_t *path)¶

Parameters

path (cairo_path_t) – a cairo_path_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. path is unreferenced if the PycairoPath creation fails, or if path is in an error status. [transfer full]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoPath from a cairo_path_t

Cairo Pattern¶

typedef PyObject PycairoPattern¶

cairo_pattern_t *PycairoPattern.pattern¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoPattern_Type¶

typedef PycairoPattern PycairoSolidPattern¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoSolidPattern_Type¶

typedef PycairoPattern PycairoSurfacePattern¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoSurfacePattern_Type¶

typedef PycairoPattern PycairoGradient¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoGradient_Type¶

typedef PycairoGradient PycairoLinearGradient¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoLinearGradient_Type¶

typedef PycairoGradient PycairoRadialGradient¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoRadialGradient_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoPattern_FromPattern(cairo_pattern_t *pattern, PyObject *base)¶

Parameters

pattern (cairo_pattern_t) – a cairo_pattern_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. It is unreferenced if the PycairoPattern creation fails, or if the pattern has an error status. [transfer full]
base (PyObject) – the base object used to create the pattern, or NULL. It is referenced to keep it alive while the cairo_pattern_t is being used. [transfer none]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoSolidPattern, PycairoSurfacePattern, PycairoLinearGradient, or PycairoRadialGradient from a cairo_pattern_t.

Cairo Region¶

typedef PyObject PycairoRegion¶

cairo_region_t *PycairoRegion.region¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoRegion_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoRegion_FromRegion(cairo_region_t *region)¶

Parameters

region (cairo_region_t) – a cairo_region_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. region is unreferenced if the PycairoRegion creation fails, or if region is in an error status.

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoRegion from a cairo_region_t

Cairo RectangleInt¶

typedef PyObject PycairoRectangleInt¶

cairo_rectangle_int_t *PycairoRectangleInt.rectangle_int¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoRectangleInt_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoRectangleInt_FromRectangleInt(const cairo_rectangle_int_t *rectangle_int)¶

Parameters

rectangle_int (cairo_rectangle_int_t) – a cairo_rectangle_int_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. rectangle_int is unreferenced if the PycairoRectangleInt creation fails. [transfer none]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoRectangleInt from a cairo_rectangle_int_t

Scaled Font¶

typedef PyObject PycairoScaledFont¶

cairo_scaled_font_t *PycairoScaledFont.scaled_font¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoScaledFont_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoScaledFont_FromScaledFont(cairo_scaled_font_t *scaled_font)¶

Parameters

scaled_font (cairo_scaled_font_t) – a cairo_scaled_font_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. it is unreferenced if the PycairoScaledFont creation fails [transfer full]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoScaledFont from a cairo_scaled_font_t

Cairo Surface¶

typedef PyObject PycairoSurface¶

cairo_surface_t *PycairoSurface.surface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoSurface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoImageSurface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoImageSurface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoPDFSurface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoPDFSurface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoPSSurface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoPSSurface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoRecordingSurface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoRecordingSurface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoSVGSurface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoSVGSurface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoWin32Surface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoWin32Surface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoXCBSurface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoXCBSurface_Type¶

typedef PycairoSurface PycairoXlibSurface¶

typedef PyTypeObject *PycairoXlibSurface_Type¶

PyObject *PycairoSurface_FromSurface(cairo_surface_t *surface, PyObject *base)¶

Parameters

surface (cairo_surface_t) – a cairo_surface_t to ‘wrap’ into a Python object. It is unreferenced if the PycairoSurface creation fails, or if the cairo_surface_t has an error status. [transfer full]
base (PyObject) – the base object used to create the surface, or NULL. It is referenced to keep it alive while the cairo_surface_t is being used. [transfer none]

Returns

New reference or NULL on failure and sets an exception [transfer full]

Create a new PycairoImageSurface, PycairoPDFSurface, PycairoPSSurface, PycairoRecordingSurface, PycairoSVGSurface, PycairoWin32Surface, PycairoWin32PrintingSurface, PycairoXCBSurface, or PycairoXlibSurface from a cairo_surface_t.

Cairo Types¶

These are only listed here so they can be referenced in the documentation.

See https://www.cairographics.org/manual/ for details.

type cairo_t¶
type cairo_status_t¶
type cairo_surface_t¶
type cairo_scaled_font_t¶
type cairo_rectangle_int_t¶
type cairo_region_t¶
type cairo_pattern_t¶
type cairo_matrix_t¶
type cairo_font_options_t¶
type cairo_path_t¶
type cairo_font_face_t¶