Base Class for Virtual Function Callback Wrappers

• http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/c++-sig/1456023 (bottom of message)
• http://mail.python.org/pipermail/c++-sig/2003-August/005297.html (search for VirtualDispatcher) describes how callback classes can swap ownership relationship with their Python wrappers.
• http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/c++-sig/1860301 describes how this can also be used to considerably simplify callback classes, solve some "dangling reference" problems, and optimize the calling of non-overridden virtual functions.

Support for Enums with Duplicate Values

Scott Snyder provided a patch; Dave was dissatisfied for some reason, but maybe it should just be applied if no further action occurs http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/1824616.

Wrapping Function Objects

It should be possible to wrap classes which support operator() as Python methods.

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/c++-sig/2003-August/005184.html

"Best Match" Overload Resolution

Overload resolution currently depends on the order in which def calls are made (preferring later overloads). This should be changed so that the best-matching overload is always selected. This may await Langbinding integration, since the technology is already in Luabind.

Lvalue conversions from non-const PyTypeObject*s

http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/C++-sig/1662717

Converter Scoping

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.c++/2044

If this gets done at all, it is going to happen in conjunction with Luabind integration.

boost::tuple

Conversions to and from Python would be nice. See http://news.gmane.org/find-root.php?message_id=%3cuvewak97m.fsf%40boost%2dconsulting.com%3e

FILE* conversions

http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/1411366

void* conversions

Pointers to cv void should be able to be passed and returned as opaque values.

Post-Call Actions

From-Python converters should be passed an extra reference to a chain of post-call actions in the Policies object, where they can register an additional action. See the end of http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/C++-sig/1755435

PyUnicode Support

Review and possibly incorporate changes from Lijun Qin at http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/C++-sig/1771145

Ownership Metadata

In the thread at http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/c++-sig/1860301, Niall Douglas describes an idea for solving some "false" dangling pointer/reference return errors by attaching data about objects which lets the framework determine that the reference count on an object doesn't tell us anything about the lifetime of its data.

Builtin Converters

Builtin correspondences between builtiin Python types and C++ types need to be documented

Internals

The structure of the framework needs to get documented; Brett Calcott has promised to turn this document into something fit for users

Full Threading Support

Various people have proposed patches to improve threading support in Boost.Python: see the thread at http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/1826544 and http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/1865842 for some examples. The only problem is that these are incomplete solutions and verifying that we do have a complete solution is going to take some time and attention.

Langbinding

This project to generalizes Boost.Python to work for other languages, initially Lua. See discussions at http://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/boost-langbinding

Refactoring and Reorganization

http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/c++-sig/1673338

NumArray Support Enhancements

Consider integrating the enhancements described in http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Mail/Message/C++-sig/1757092

PyFinalize Safety

Currently Boost.Python has several global (or function-static) objects whose existence keeps reference counts from dropping to zero until the Boost.Python shared object is unloaded. This can cause a crash because when the reference counts do go to zero, there's no interpreter. In order to make it safe to call PyFinalize() we must register an atexit routine which destroys these objects and releases all Python reference counts so that Python can clean them up while there's still an interpreter. Dirk Gerrits has promised to do this job.