# Things to be Aware Of

## Python Strings, Qt Strings and Unicode

PyQt4 uses the `QString` class to represent Unicode strings, and the `QByteArray` to represent byte arrays or strings. In Python v3 the corresponding native object types are `str` and `bytes`. In Python v2 the corresponding native object types are `unicode` and `str`.

PyQt4 does its best to automatically convert between objects of the various types. Explicit conversions can be easily made where necessary.

In some cases PyQt4 will not perform automatic conversions where it is necessary to distinguish between different overloaded methods.

For Python v3 the following conversions are done by default.

- If Qt expects a `char *` (or a `const` version) then PyQt4 will accept a `str` or `QString` that contains only ASCII characters, a `bytes`, a `QByteArray`, or a Python object that implements the buffer protocol.
- If Qt expects a `char` (or a `const` version) then PyQt4 will accept the same types as for `char *` and also require that a single character is provided.
- If Qt expects a `signed char *` or an `unsigned char *` (or a `const` version) then PyQt4 will accept a `bytes`.
- If Qt expects a `signed char` or an `unsigned char` (or a `const` version) then PyQt4 will accept a `bytes` of length 1.
- If Qt expects a `QString` then PyQt4 will accept a `str`, a `bytes` that contains only ASCII characters, a `QChar` or a `QByteArray`.
- If Qt expects a `QByteArray` then PyQt4 will also accept a `str` that contains only Latin-1 characters, or a `bytes`.

For Python v2 the following conversions are done by default.

- If Qt expects a `char *`, `signed char *` or an `unsigned char *` (or a `const` version) then PyQt4 will accept a `unicode` or `QString` that contains only ASCII characters, a `str`, a `QByteArray`, or a Python object that implements the buffer protocol.
- If Qt expects a `char`, `signed char` or an `unsigned char` (or a `const` version) then PyQt4 will accept the same types as for `char *`, `signed char *` and `unsigned char *` and also require that a single character is provided.
- If Qt expects a `QString` then PyQt4 will accept a `unicode`, a `str` that contains only ASCII characters, a `QChar` or a `QByteArray`.
- If Qt expects a `QByteArray` then PyQt4 will accept a `unicode` that contains only Latin-1 characters, or a `str`.

Note that the different behaviour between Python v2 and v3 is due to v3’s reduced support for the buffer protocol.

## Garbage Collection

C++ does not garbage collect unreferenced class instances, whereas Python does. In the following C++ fragment both colours exist even though the first can no longer be referenced from within the program:

    col = new QColor();
    col = new QColor();

In the corresponding Python fragment, the first colour is destroyed when the second is assigned to `col`:

    col = QtGui.QColor()
    col = QtGui.QColor()

In Python, each colour must be assigned to different names. Typically this is done within class definitions, so the code fragment would be something like:

    self.col1 = QtGui.QColor()
    self.col2 = QtGui.QColor()

Sometimes a Qt class instance will maintain a pointer to another instance and will eventually call the destructor of that second instance. The most common example is that a `QObject` (and any of its sub-classes) keeps pointers to its children and will automatically call their destructors. In these cases, the corresponding Python object will also keep a reference to the corresponding child objects.

So, in the following Python fragment, the first `QLabel` is not destroyed when the second is assigned to `lab` because the parent `QWidget` still has a reference to it:

    parent = QtGui.QWidget()
    lab = QtGui.QLabel("First label", parent)
    lab = QtGui.QLabel("Second label", parent)

## Multiple Inheritance

It is not possible to define a new Python class that sub-classes from more than one Qt class.

## Access to Protected Member Functions

When an instance of a C++ class is not created from Python it is not possible to access the protected member functions, or emit any signals, of that instance. Attempts to do so will raise a Python exception. Also, any Python methods corresponding to the instance’s virtual member functions will never be called.

## `None` and `NULL`

Throughout PyQt4, the `None` value can be specified wherever `NULL` is acceptable to the underlying C++ code.

Equally, `NULL` is converted to `None` whenever it is returned by the underlying C++ code.

## Support for `void *`

PyQt4 (actually SIP) represents `void *` values as objects of type `sip.voidptr`. Such values are often used to pass the addresses of external objects between different Python modules. To make this easier, a Python integer (or anything that Python can convert to an integer) can be used whenever a `sip.voidptr` is expected.

A `sip.voidptr` may be converted to a Python integer by using the `int()` builtin function.

A `sip.voidptr` may be converted to a Python string by using its `asstring()` method. The `asstring()` method takes an optional integer argument which is the length of the data in bytes.

A `sip.voidptr` may also be given a size (ie. the size of the block of memory that is pointed to) by calling its `setsize()` method. If it has a size then it is also able to support Python’s buffer protocol and behaves like a Python `memoryview` object so that the block of memory can be treated as a mutable list of bytes. It also means that the Python `struct` module can be used to unpack and pack binary data structures in memory, memory mapped files or shared memory.

## `super` and PyQt4 Classes

In versions of PyQt4 earlier than v4.5 there were restrictions on the use of `super` with PyQt4 classes. These restrictions no longer apply with v4.5 and later.