On 20 July 2013 00:36, David M. Cotter wrote:

i'd like my app to be "available" to python while it's running.

for example, say my app is "FooBar.app".

when my FooBar.app is running, now there is a python interface available to python, and the user can write python scripts to make use of it with their scripts, they can control my running application

when FooBar.app is NOT running, perhaps making use of any of the python functions of "FooBar.app" would either return an error, or possibly launch "FooBar.app".

can boost::python help with this?

i've never worked with extending or embedding python, so any help would be super great

I honestly suggest you to read through this chapter thoroughly and understand it what embedding and extending is at Python C API level first: http://docs.python.org/3/extending/index.html For your use case, you will need to apply the "Extending Embedded Python". The fact that you want to use Boost.Python is IMHO secondary, you will simply use convenient C++ API for Python, but it won't free you completely from understanding how the Python emb/ext machinery works. Yes, Boost Python can help with this: http://wiki.python.org/moin/boost.python/EmbeddingPython http://members.gamedev.net/sicrane/articles/EmbeddingPythonPart1.html Best regards, -- Mateusz Loskot, http://mateusz.loskot.net