mapeditor/tiled

Modernize Python bindings

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#2,190 opened on Aug 28, 2019

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 (3 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)C++ (10,413 stars) (1,708 forks)batch import
help wanted

Description

The current Python plugin relies on a large amount of generated code based on the somewhat hard to maintain and always incomplete tiledbinding.py and qtbinding.py.

I've recently learned about pybind11 (see also this blog post), which seems like a much nicer way of binding the classes to Python. The bindings are defined with similar verbosity, but directly in C++ which makes it easier to keep up-to-date.

In addition, pybind11 provides a more convenient way of interfacing with an embedded Python interpreter than using the Python API directly.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
pythoncpp
Domain
toolingdeveloper experience
Issue type
refactor
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
3-5 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
C++Pythonpybind11Tiled codebase structure
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
20
Research direction
Study the current Python binding implementation in `src/plugins/python/pythonbind.cpp`, `tiledbinding.py`, and `qtbinding.py`. Review pybind11 documentation and examples to understand its API and integration pattern. Compare the two approaches to determine the necessary changes. Identify the key classes and functions that need to be bound, and consider how to test the new bindings.