Python for Delphi
Developers (Part II)
Webinar by Kiriakos Vlahos (aka PyScripter)
and Jim McKeeth (Embarcadero)
Using python libraries and objects in Delphi code
• VarPyth
Python based data analytics in Delphi applications
• Core libraries
• Visualization
• Machine Learning
Contents Running python scripts without blocking your GUI
• TPythonThread
Creating Python extension modules using Delphi
Python GUI development using the VCL
• WrapDelphi and WrapDelphiVCL units
VarPyth
• High-level access to python objects from Delphi code
• It also allows you to create common python objects (lists, tuples etc.)
• Uses custom variants
• No need to use the low-level python API or deal with python object reference
counting
• Small performance penalty
• Example
• ShowMessage(SysModule.version)
• Explore Demo25 and the VarPyth unit tests
procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
VarPyth Demo
begin Python code:
var np := Import('numpy');
var np_array: Variant := from delphi_module import np_array
np.array(VarPythonCreate([1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10])); print("type(np_array) = ", type(np_array))
PythonModule.SetVar('np_array’, print("len(np_array) = ", len(np_array))
ExtractPythonObjectFrom(np_array)); print("np_array = ", np_array)
end;
res_array = np_array.copy()
for i in range(len(np_array)):
res_array[i] *= np_array[i]
print("res_array = ", res_array)
procedure TForm1.btnRunClick(Sender: TObject);
begin
GetPythonEngine.ExecString(UTF8Encode(sePythonCode.Text));
for var V in VarPyIterate(MainModule.res_array) do Output:
ListBox.Items.Add(V);
end; type(np_array) = <class 'numpy.ndarray'>
len(np_array) = 10
np_array = [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10]
res_array = [ 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64 81 100]
To learn more, explore Demo25 and the VarPyth unit tests
Core Python Libraries
• Core libraries
• numpy – arrays and matrix algebra
• scipy – math, science and engineering
• pandas – data structure and analysis, R-like dataframes
• Data visualization
• matplotlib – matlab-like plotting
• seaborn – statistical data visualization
• mpld3 – turn matplotlib plots into interactive web pages
• bokeh - interactive visualization library for modern browsers
• plotly – interactive browser-based graphing library
• altair – based on the visualization grammar vega-light
Data visualization
Demos - pyVIZsvg
• Create charts with python
libraries, save them in svg
format and plot them in Delphi
• Uses matplotlib and seaborn
python libraries
• Uses TSVGIconImage from
EtheaDev SVGIconImageList
components
Interactive Data
Visualization Demo -
PychartHtml
• Create interactive charts in
python save them to html and
show them inside Delphi
applications
• Showcases the new
TEdgeBrowser
• Uses the matplotlib with mpld3,
altair and bohek python
libraries
Machine Learning Python Libraries
• tensorflow (Google)
• keras – high level pythonic interface
• PyTorch (Facebook)
• CNTK - The Microsoft Cognitive Toolkit (Microsoft)
• Spark MLlib and mxnet (Apache Foundation)
• scikit-learn
• pure-python, general library, wide coverage, good choice for newcomers to
ML/AI
Data Analytics Demo:
COVID-19
• Demonstrates the combined use of numpy,
pandas, matplotlib and scikit-learn
• Use pandas to download Covid-19 confirmed
cases data from Web and aggregate it
• Use scikit-learn to
• Split the data into training and test sets
• Transform the data
• Define model (Bayesian Ridge Regression)
• Optimize model parameters
• Generate predictions
• Use matplotlib to compare actual vrs fitted test
data.
Running Python Scripts Without
Blocking Your Main Thread
• Python uses the infamous Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)
• This means that only one thread can run python code at any given time
• Python switches between python created threads automatically
• Applications using python need to acquire the GIL before running python
code and release it soon afterwards
• Welcome to TPythonThread
• TThread descendent
• Automatically acquires and releases the GIL
Python threads –
demo33
• Shows you how to
• use TPythonThread
• use new sub-interpreters
• synchronize with the main
thread
• interrupt running threads
with a keyboard interrupt
exception
Technical Aside I
• FPU Exception mask
• Delphi’s default FPU exception mask is different from most other Windows apps
• Incompatible with python libraries written in C or C++
• If you use numpy, scipy, tensorflow etc. you need to match the FPU mask they
expect to operate with
• PythonEngine.pas provides a function for doing that: MaskFPUExceptions
• Call MaskFPUExceptions(True) before python is loaded
• e.g. the initialization section of your main form
• See the P4D Wiki page for details
Technical Aside II
• Working with different python distributions:
• P4D makes a good effort to discover registered python distributions automatically
• But sometimes you want to use python distributions which are not registered
• One such case is when want to deploy your application bundled with python.
Python.org offers such a minimal distribution for applications embedding python.
• Additional considerations apply when using an Anaconda distribution
• Read the Finding Python P4D Wiki page carefully
P4D Python Extension Modules
• Python extension modules are dynamic link libraries that can be used by
python in a way similar to modules developed in python.
• They have ‘pyd’ extension.
• P4D makes it very easy to create extension modules that contain functions
and types developed in Delphi.
• These extension modules can be used by Python, independently of Delphi,
and can be packaged with setuptools and distributed through PyPi.
Python extension modules Demo
function PyInit_DemoModule: PPyObject;
//function exported by dll – initializes the module
begin Python test module: test.py
try
gEngine := TPythonEngine.Create(nil); from DemoModule import is_prime
gEngine.AutoFinalize := False; from timeit import Timer
gEngine.UseLastKnownVersion := False;
// Adapt to the desired python version def count_primes(max_n):
gEngine.RegVersion := '3.8'; res = 0
gEngine.DllName := 'python38.dll'; for i in range(2, max_n + 1):
if is_prime(i):
gModule := TPythonModule.Create(nil); res += 1
gModule.Engine := gEngine; return res
gModule.ModuleName := 'DemoModule';
gModule.AddMethod('is_prime', delphi_is_prime,
'is_prime(n) -> bool' );
Command line:
gEngine.LoadDll;
> C:\Python\Python38\python test.py
except
Number of primes between 0 and 1000000 = 78498
end;
Elapsed time: 0.29756570000000004 secs
Result := gModule.Module;
end;
Wrapping VCL as a Python
Extension Module I
• We can use the same approach to create an extension module wrapping
VCL
• Uses the WrapDelphi and WrapDelphiVCL units
• The whole of VCL (almost) is wrapped in 40 lines of code
• The generated Delphi.pyd file is only 5Mbs
• It can be uses to create VCL-based GUIs in python without needing Delphi
• A similar approach could be used to wrap FMX and create a multi-platform
python GUI library
• Unclear whether there are licensing restrictions in distributing such a file
Wrapping VCL as a Python
Extension Module II
TestApp.py
unit uMain;
from Delphi import *
interface
class MainForm(Form): uses PythonEngine;
def __init__(self, Owner):
self.Caption = "A Delphi Form..." function PyInit_Delphi: PPyObject; cdecl;
self.SetBounds(10, 10, 500, 400)
self.lblHello = Label(self) implementation
self.lblHello.SetProps(Parent=self, Caption="Hello World")
uses WrapDelphi, WrapDelphiVCL;
self.lblHello.SetBounds(10, 10, 300, 24)
self.OnClose = self.MainFormClose // similar to the previous extension module
def MainFormClose(self, Sender, Action):
Action.Value = caFree
def main():
Application.Initialize()
Application.Title = "MyDelphiApp"
f = MainForm(Application)
f.Show()
FreeConsole()
Application.Run() Command line:
main() > C:\Python\Python38\python .\TestApp.py
Summary
• With Python for Delphi you can get the best of both worlds
• P4D makes it very easy to integrate Python into Delphi applications in RAD
way, thus providing access to a vast range of python libraries
• Expose Delphi function, objects, records and types to Python using low or
high-level interfaces (WrapDelphi)
• Create/Access/Use Python objects/modules in your Delphi code using a high-
level interface (VarPyth)
• Run python code in threads
• Create python extensions modules
• Wrap Vcl as a Python extension module to create GUIs with python
github.com/pyscripter/python4delphi/tree/master/Tutorials/Webinar%20II
