Best Cython Programming Guides to Buy in November 2025
Cython: A Guide for Python Programmers
Python for Quantum Chemistry: A Full Stack Programming Guide (Volume 23) (Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Volume 23)
Effective Pandas: Patterns for Data Manipulation (Treading on Python)
High Performance Python: Practical Performant Programming for Humans
Python High Performance: Build high-performing, concurrent, and distributed applications, 2nd Edition
In Cython, a struct can be defined during declaration by using the ctypedef keyword followed by the struct definition. The struct type can then be used to declare variables in the same way as standard C structs. This allows for the creation of custom data types with specific member variables that can be accessed and manipulated in the Cython code. By defining a struct during declaration, you can streamline the process of creating and using custom data structures in your Cython code.
How to initialize a struct during declaration in Cython?
To initialize a struct during declaration in Cython, you can simply assign values to the fields of the struct within curly braces at the time of declaration. Here is an example:
cdef struct Point: int x int y
cdef Point p = {1, 2}
In this example, a struct Point is declared with two integer fields x and y. The struct p is then initialized with values 1 and 2 for the x and y fields respectively.
How to define a struct with variable-sized members in Cython?
To define a struct with variable-sized members in Cython, you can use a flexible array member at the end of the struct. Here is an example of how to do this:
cdef struct MyStruct: int size double data[1] # Flexible array member
def create_my_struct(int size): cdef MyStruct* my_struct = <MyStruct*>malloc(sizeof(MyStruct) + size * sizeof(double)) if my_struct is NULL: raise MemoryError("Failed to allocate memory for MyStruct")
my\_struct.size = size
return my\_struct
In this example, we define a struct MyStruct with a fixed-size member size and a flexible array member data. When allocating memory for the struct, we allocate space for size number of double elements after the struct itself.
Keep in mind that using flexible array members in structs can be non-portable and may not be supported in all compilers. It is generally safer to use dynamic memory allocation for variable-sized members in structs.
How to define an anonymous struct in Cython?
To define an anonymous struct in Cython, you can use the cdef struct keyword followed by the field definitions within curly braces {} without specifying a name for the struct. Here's an example:
cdef struct: int x int y
This defines an anonymous struct with fields x and y of type int. You can then use this anonymous struct in your Cython code like so:
cdef struct: int x int y
cdef void my_function(): cdef struct my_struct my_struct.x = 10 my_struct.y = 20