Find the portion of code that defines a built-in Python function's name

Question

I've been trying to search the source code of CPython for the names of various built-in functions. What I'm interested in is locating the lines that define the names of these functions, what the Python interpreter's "look-up" procedure looks at when it encounters a function. If I change these lines, then I should be able to change the names of the functions, too.

In this case, I tried searching for the abs function in the C source code files on the GitHub page for CPython. This is the link to the search query I was using. There are 30 results, but none of them contains a string like "abs" or anything like that aside from what looks like strings for documentation.

How would I go about finding these particular lines of code?

This search result from Python/clinic/bltinmodule.c.h looks like the starting place: #define BUILTIN_ABS_METHODDEF \ {"abs", (PyCFunction)builtin_abs, METH_O, builtin_abs__doc__}, — Barmar
– Barmar, Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 22:46
Then I think something that takes a ten-hour video series is too broad to cover on SO. — jonrsharpe
– jonrsharpe, Commented Jan 8, 2016 at 22:48
Put the code down and step away slowly, no Python functionality needs to die here today. — kylieCatt
– kylieCatt, Commented Jan 9, 2016 at 0:39

Barmar · Accepted Answer · 2016-01-08 22:49:56Z

2

Here's the part of the search results that specifies the association between the name abs and the function that implements it.

Python/clinic/bltinmodule.c.h 
Showing the top six matches. Last indexed on Oct 1, 2015.

11  #define BUILTIN_ABS_METHODDEF    \
12      {"abs", (PyCFunction)builtin_abs, METH_O, builtin_abs__doc__},

If you go to bltinmodule.c.h you'll find similar definitions for all the built-in Python methods.

edited Jan 8, 2016 at 22:49

answered Jan 8, 2016 at 22:48

Barmar

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2 Comments

Melab Over a year ago

Could this be extended to looking for things like the methods associated with various built-in classes like strings and numbers?

Barmar Over a year ago

There's probably similar types of macros for them.

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