Python Guide

The Python implementation is a compiled extension module that works with Python dicts, lists, and scalar values.

Minimum Version

• Python 3.8+
• Building from source currently requires a C++17-capable compiler such as g++ 11+

Implementation Model

• Text encoding infers schema from Python values.
• decode() reads the schema carried by the text header and returns Python objects.
• decodeBinary() needs an explicit schema string because binary ASUN is not self-describing.

Current Support

• encode, encodeTyped
• encodePretty, encodePrettyTyped
• decode
• encodeBinary, decodeBinary

Example

import asun

users = [
    {"id": 1, "name": "Alice", "active": True},
    {"id": 2, "name": "Bob", "active": False},
]

typed = asun.encodeTyped(users)
restored = asun.decode(typed)

blob = asun.encodeBinary(users)
restored2 = asun.decodeBinary(blob, "[{id@int,name@str,active@bool}]")

Notes

• encode() writes schema text without scalar hints; decoding that form returns string values because the text header does not carry those scalar hints.
• encodeTyped() is the safer default for type-preserving round-trips.
• Keyed collections should be modeled as entry lists.

Build and Test

cd asun-py
python3 -m pip install -e .
python3 -m pytest tests -v
python3 examples/basic.py
python3 examples/complex.py
python3 examples/bench.py