Call Python code from an existing project written in Swift
Question:
I need a way to call Python code from Swift on an Apple platform. A library would be ideal. I’ve done a considerable amount of Google searching, and the closest material I found is for Objective-C.
Answers:
If anyone is ever interested in calling python from swift, here is some helpful material I found:
- U the python framework – https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/technotes/tn2328/_index.html
- PyObjC (a little more challenging) –
- Cobbal – https://github.com/cobbal/python-for-iphone
- Python docs (you would need to make C-Swift bridge)
Most of it is for Objective-c, but if you need to use swift you can easily just create an ObjC-Swift bridge (super-super easy) – Lookup the apple docs
I found this excellent and up to date gist that walks you through a complete solution: https://github.com/ndevenish/Site-ndevenish/blob/master/_posts/2017-04-11-using-python-with-swift-3.markdown
If you can get away with just using NSTask to launch a Python process, that’s a pretty good option too.
In Swift 4.2 there was an approved feature to allow dynamic languages to be ported directly into swift
https://github.com/apple/swift-evolution/blob/master/proposals/0195-dynamic-member-lookup.md
Will look similar to:
// import pickle
let pickle = Python.import("pickle")
// file = open(filename)
let file = Python.open(filename)
// blob = file.read()
let blob = file.read()
// result = pickle.loads(blob)
let result = pickle.loads(blob)
In swift 5 you can try PythonKit framework.
Here’s example of the usage:
import PythonKit
let sys = try Python.import("sys")
print("Python (sys.version_info.major).(sys.version_info.minor)")
print("Python Version: (sys.version)")
print("Python Encoding: (sys.getdefaultencoding().upper())")
I need a way to call Python code from Swift on an Apple platform. A library would be ideal. I’ve done a considerable amount of Google searching, and the closest material I found is for Objective-C.
If anyone is ever interested in calling python from swift, here is some helpful material I found:
- U the python framework – https://developer.apple.com/library/ios/technotes/tn2328/_index.html
- PyObjC (a little more challenging) –
- Cobbal – https://github.com/cobbal/python-for-iphone
- Python docs (you would need to make C-Swift bridge)
Most of it is for Objective-c, but if you need to use swift you can easily just create an ObjC-Swift bridge (super-super easy) – Lookup the apple docs
I found this excellent and up to date gist that walks you through a complete solution: https://github.com/ndevenish/Site-ndevenish/blob/master/_posts/2017-04-11-using-python-with-swift-3.markdown
If you can get away with just using NSTask to launch a Python process, that’s a pretty good option too.
In Swift 4.2 there was an approved feature to allow dynamic languages to be ported directly into swift
https://github.com/apple/swift-evolution/blob/master/proposals/0195-dynamic-member-lookup.md
Will look similar to:
// import pickle
let pickle = Python.import("pickle")
// file = open(filename)
let file = Python.open(filename)
// blob = file.read()
let blob = file.read()
// result = pickle.loads(blob)
let result = pickle.loads(blob)
In swift 5 you can try PythonKit framework.
Here’s example of the usage:
import PythonKit
let sys = try Python.import("sys")
print("Python (sys.version_info.major).(sys.version_info.minor)")
print("Python Version: (sys.version)")
print("Python Encoding: (sys.getdefaultencoding().upper())")