Python bitset checked in (along with unittests)

I have just checked in the python version of bitset (and unittests!) into the boost_python project directory. Now I need to spend a little time making the API for the python version agree with the C++ version. Some discrepancies around init/constructor, nothing major.

I think I have enough functionality to start on benchmarks.

The python bitset uses a list internally to store bits as, can you guess, zero or one. The first crack used the string representation of a bit rather than a numeric which was not a big problem until I noticed that all operations except init and repr needed to convert the value somewhere.

One gotcha to note: the zero-th bit is rightmost, as it would be if you were writing out a number rather than the string layout where the zeroth bit is on the left.

Dynamic bitset for python

I started trying the Python part of Boost C++ libraries recently and found it surprisingly easy to use. In search of a mini-project, I started coding a Python extension module to expose the Boost dynamic bitset for use in Python. It started as a novelty for a quick talk at the DFW Python group but I got stumped by adding operators.. until last night.

Here's a recap:

The constructor can accept a string ('111000') or a number of bits or a number of bits and an initial value. You can have a very large number of bits - in the millions without a problem.

The logical operators (&|^) work as expected and even throw polite exceptions when the operands are of different sizes.

There is a count method to see how many bits are on, a test method that returns true if the bit at a given index is on, a flip (or toggle) method..

There are even docstrings!

Available at:
https://python.taupro.com/repo/Projects/boost_python

It may be interesting to build pure python version and then use both to implement Conway's Game of Life to see what the difference in speed is.