[GRASS-user] What's the point with Grass/Python SWIG interface?

[Hamish]

G. Allegri wrote:
> 
> does anyone can make the point about Grass/Python SWIG interface
> development? I've seen in May the last changes on SVN made by Markus
> Neteler. Is the interface somehow ready to be used? Is there a roadmap in
> the development?

Yes, it works, at a prototype stage. ie it may be rough around the edges
but basically works - it's at a stage where it needs testers & feedback
reports.

see
 http://grass.gdf-hannover.de/wiki/GRASS_and_Python#Python-SWIG-GRASS_interface
 http://mpa.itc.it/markus/grass63progman/swig/
 http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.gis.grass.devel/20751
 src/swig/python/README
 src/swig/python/TODO
 src/swig/python/test.py
 src/swig/python/rasteraccess.py
 src/swig/python/vectoraccess.py


the subject of your email ("What's the point"?) touches on the reason I
personally haven't worked on python/swig further than getting it running-
even though I'd like to learn more python. To date I haven't been able to
think of a time when I'd want to use it over writing a module directly in
C or scripting compiled modules in python without SWIG (as a replacement
for bash scripting). The low level grass modules give you a lot of
control, so direct access to the C libgis functions isn't all that
critical.


good luck,
Hamish