Instantiating a python class in C#

Solution 1:

IronPython classes are not .NET classes. They are instances of IronPython.Runtime.Types.PythonType which is the Python metaclass. This is because Python classes are dynamic and support addition and removal of methods at runtime, things you cannot do with .NET classes.

To use Python classes in C# you will need to use the ObjectOperations class. This class allows you to operate on python types and instances in the semantics of the language itself. e.g. it uses the magic methods when appropriate, auto-promotes integers to longs etc. You can find out more about ObjectOperations by looking at the source or using reflector.

Here is an example. Calculator.py contains a simple class:

class Calculator(object):
    def add(self, a, b):
        return a + b

You can use it from your pre .NET 4.0 C# code like this:

ScriptEngine engine = Python.CreateEngine();
ScriptSource source = engine.CreateScriptSourceFromFile("Calculator.py");
ScriptScope scope = engine.CreateScope();

ObjectOperations op = engine.Operations;

source.Execute(scope); // class object created
object klaz = scope.GetVariable("Calculator"); // get the class object
object instance = op.Call(klaz); // create the instance
object method = op.GetMember(instance, "add"); // get a method
int result = (int)op.Call(method, 4, 5); // call method and get result (9)

You will need to reference the assemblies IronPython.dll, Microsoft.Scripting and Microsoft.Scripting.Core.

C# 4 made this much easier with the new dynamic type.

ScriptEngine engine = Python.CreateEngine();
ScriptSource source = engine.CreateScriptSourceFromFile("Calculator.py");
ScriptScope scope = engine.CreateScope();
source.Execute(scope);

dynamic Calculator = scope.GetVariable("Calculator");
dynamic calc = Calculator();
int result = calc.add(4, 5);

If you are using Visual Studio 2010 or later with NuGet support simply execute this to download and reference the appropriate libraries.

Install-Package IronPython

Solution 2:

Now that .Net 4.0 is released and has the dynamic type, this example should be updated. Using the same python file as in m-sharp's original answer:

class Calculator(object):
    def add(self, a, b):
        return a + b

Here is how you would call it using .Net 4.0:

string scriptPath = "Calculator.py";
ScriptEngine engine = Python.CreateEngine();
engine.SetSearchPaths(new string[] {"Path to your lib's here. EG:", "C:\\Program Files (x86)\\IronPython 2.7.1\\Lib"});
ScriptSource source = engine.CreateScriptSourceFromFile(scriptPath);
ScriptScope scope = engine.CreateScope();
ObjectOperations op = engine.Operations;
source.Execute(scope);

dynamic Calculator = scope.GetVariable("Calculator");
dynamic calc = Calculator();
return calc.add(x,y);          

Again, you need to add references to IronPython.dll and Microsoft.Scripting.

As you can see, the initial setting up and creating of the source file is the same.

But once the source is succesfully executed, working with the python functions is far easier thanks to the new "dynamic" keyword.