This document is for an old version of Python that is no longer supported. You should install the python3 and python3-doc packages and read the Python documentation for the Python3 version packaged in this release.

# Supporting Cyclic Garbage Collection

Python’s support for detecting and collecting garbage which involves circular references requires support from object types which are “containers” for other objects which may also be containers. Types which do not store references to other objects, or which only store references to atomic types (such as numbers or strings), do not need to provide any explicit support for garbage collection.

To create a container type, the `tp_flags` field of the type object must include the `Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC` and provide an implementation of the `tp_traverse` handler. If instances of the type are mutable, a `tp_clear` implementation must also be provided.

`Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC`

  Objects with a type with this flag set must conform with the rules documented here. For convenience these objects will be referred to as container objects.

Constructors for container types must conform to two rules:

1. The memory for the object must be allocated using `PyObject_GC_New()` or `PyObject_GC_NewVar()`.
2. Once all the fields which may contain references to other containers are initialized, it must call `PyObject_GC_Track()`.

TYPE* `PyObject_GC_New`(TYPE, PyTypeObject *type)

  Analogous to `PyObject_New()` but for container objects with the `Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC` flag set.

TYPE* `PyObject_GC_NewVar`(TYPE, PyTypeObject *type, Py_ssize_t size)

  Analogous to `PyObject_NewVar()` but for container objects with the `Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC` flag set.

  Changed in version 2.5: This function used an `int` type for size. This might require changes in your code for properly supporting 64-bit systems.

TYPE* `PyObject_GC_Resize`(TYPE, PyVarObject *op, Py_ssize_t newsize)

  Resize an object allocated by `PyObject_NewVar()`. Returns the resized object or NULL on failure. op must not be tracked by the collector yet.

  Changed in version 2.5: This function used an `int` type for newsize. This might require changes in your code for properly supporting 64-bit systems.

void `PyObject_GC_Track`(PyObject *op)

  Adds the object op to the set of container objects tracked by the collector. The collector can run at unexpected times so objects must be valid while being tracked. This should be called once all the fields followed by the `tp_traverse` handler become valid, usually near the end of the constructor.

void `_PyObject_GC_TRACK`(PyObject *op)

  A macro version of `PyObject_GC_Track()`. It should not be used for extension modules.

Similarly, the deallocator for the object must conform to a similar pair of rules:

1. Before fields which refer to other containers are invalidated, `PyObject_GC_UnTrack()` must be called.
2. The object’s memory must be deallocated using `PyObject_GC_Del()`.

void `PyObject_GC_Del`(void *op)

  Releases memory allocated to an object using `PyObject_GC_New()` or `PyObject_GC_NewVar()`.

void `PyObject_GC_UnTrack`(void *op)

  Remove the object op from the set of container objects tracked by the collector. Note that `PyObject_GC_Track()` can be called again on this object to add it back to the set of tracked objects. The deallocator (`tp_dealloc` handler) should call this for the object before any of the fields used by the `tp_traverse` handler become invalid.

void `_PyObject_GC_UNTRACK`(PyObject *op)

  A macro version of `PyObject_GC_UnTrack()`. It should not be used for extension modules.

The `tp_traverse` handler accepts a function parameter of this type:

int `(*visitproc)`(PyObject *object, void *arg)

  Type of the visitor function passed to the `tp_traverse` handler. The function should be called with an object to traverse as object and the third parameter to the `tp_traverse` handler as arg. The Python core uses several visitor functions to implement cyclic garbage detection; it’s not expected that users will need to write their own visitor functions.

The `tp_traverse` handler must have the following type:

int `(*traverseproc)`(PyObject *self, visitproc visit, void *arg)

  Traversal function for a container object. Implementations must call the visit function for each object directly contained by self, with the parameters to visit being the contained object and the arg value passed to the handler. The visit function must not be called with a NULL object argument. If visit returns a non-zero value that value should be returned immediately.

To simplify writing `tp_traverse` handlers, a `Py_VISIT()` macro is provided. In order to use this macro, the `tp_traverse` implementation must name its arguments exactly visit and arg:

void `Py_VISIT`(PyObject *o)

  If o is not NULL, call the visit callback, with arguments o and arg. If visit returns a non-zero value, then return it. Using this macro, `tp_traverse` handlers look like:

      static int
      my_traverse(Noddy *self, visitproc visit, void *arg)
      {
          Py_VISIT(self->foo);
          Py_VISIT(self->bar);
          return 0;
      }

  New in version 2.4.

The `tp_clear` handler must be of the `inquiry` type, or NULL if the object is immutable.

int `(*inquiry)`(PyObject *self)

  Drop references that may have created reference cycles. Immutable objects do not have to define this method since they can never directly create reference cycles. Note that the object must still be valid after calling this method (don’t just call `Py_DECREF()` on a reference). The collector will call this method if it detects that this object is involved in a reference cycle.