
``sys`` --- System-specific parameters and functions
****************************************************

This module provides access to some variables used or maintained by
the interpreter and to functions that interact strongly with the
interpreter. It is always available.

sys.argv

   The list of command line arguments passed to a Python script.
   ``argv[0]`` is the script name (it is operating system dependent
   whether this is a full pathname or not).  If the command was
   executed using the *-c* command line option to the interpreter,
   ``argv[0]`` is set to the string ``'-c'``.  If no script name was
   passed to the Python interpreter, ``argv[0]`` is the empty string.

   To loop over the standard input, or the list of files given on the
   command line, see the ``fileinput`` module.

sys.byteorder

   An indicator of the native byte order.  This will have the value
   ``'big'`` on big-endian (most-significant byte first) platforms,
   and ``'little'`` on little-endian (least-significant byte first)
   platforms.

   New in version 2.0.

sys.subversion

   A triple (repo, branch, version) representing the Subversion
   information of the Python interpreter. *repo* is the name of the
   repository, ``'CPython'``. *branch* is a string of one of the forms
   ``'trunk'``, ``'branches/name'`` or ``'tags/name'``. *version* is
   the output of ``svnversion``, if the interpreter was built from a
   Subversion checkout; it contains the revision number (range) and
   possibly a trailing 'M' if there were local modifications. If the
   tree was exported (or svnversion was not available), it is the
   revision of ``Include/patchlevel.h`` if the branch is a tag.
   Otherwise, it is ``None``.

   New in version 2.5.

sys.builtin_module_names

   A tuple of strings giving the names of all modules that are
   compiled into this Python interpreter.  (This information is not
   available in any other way --- ``modules.keys()`` only lists the
   imported modules.)

sys.copyright

   A string containing the copyright pertaining to the Python
   interpreter.

sys._clear_type_cache()

   Clear the internal type cache. The type cache is used to speed up
   attribute and method lookups. Use the function *only* to drop
   unnecessary references during reference leak debugging.

   This function should be used for internal and specialized purposes
   only.

   New in version 2.6.

sys._current_frames()

   Return a dictionary mapping each thread's identifier to the topmost
   stack frame currently active in that thread at the time the
   function is called. Note that functions in the ``traceback`` module
   can build the call stack given such a frame.

   This is most useful for debugging deadlock:  this function does not
   require the deadlocked threads' cooperation, and such threads' call
   stacks are frozen for as long as they remain deadlocked.  The frame
   returned for a non-deadlocked thread may bear no relationship to
   that thread's current activity by the time calling code examines
   the frame.

   This function should be used for internal and specialized purposes
   only.

   New in version 2.5.

sys.dllhandle

   Integer specifying the handle of the Python DLL. Availability:
   Windows.

sys.displayhook(value)

   If *value* is not ``None``, this function prints it to
   ``sys.stdout``, and saves it in ``__builtin__._``.

   ``sys.displayhook`` is called on the result of evaluating an
   *expression* entered in an interactive Python session.  The display
   of these values can be customized by assigning another one-argument
   function to ``sys.displayhook``.

sys.excepthook(type, value, traceback)

   This function prints out a given traceback and exception to
   ``sys.stderr``.

   When an exception is raised and uncaught, the interpreter calls
   ``sys.excepthook`` with three arguments, the exception class,
   exception instance, and a traceback object.  In an interactive
   session this happens just before control is returned to the prompt;
   in a Python program this happens just before the program exits.
   The handling of such top-level exceptions can be customized by
   assigning another three-argument function to ``sys.excepthook``.

sys.__displayhook__
sys.__excepthook__

   These objects contain the original values of ``displayhook`` and
   ``excepthook`` at the start of the program.  They are saved so that
   ``displayhook`` and ``excepthook`` can be restored in case they
   happen to get replaced with broken objects.

sys.exc_info()

   This function returns a tuple of three values that give information
   about the exception that is currently being handled.  The
   information returned is specific both to the current thread and to
   the current stack frame.  If the current stack frame is not
   handling an exception, the information is taken from the calling
   stack frame, or its caller, and so on until a stack frame is found
   that is handling an exception.  Here, "handling an exception" is
   defined as "executing or having executed an except clause."  For
   any stack frame, only information about the most recently handled
   exception is accessible.

   If no exception is being handled anywhere on the stack, a tuple
   containing three ``None`` values is returned.  Otherwise, the
   values returned are ``(type, value, traceback)``.  Their meaning
   is: *type* gets the exception type of the exception being handled
   (a class object); *value* gets the exception parameter (its
   *associated value* or the second argument to ``raise``, which is
   always a class instance if the exception type is a class object);
   *traceback* gets a traceback object (see the Reference Manual)
   which encapsulates the call stack at the point where the exception
   originally occurred.

   If ``exc_clear()`` is called, this function will return three
   ``None`` values until either another exception is raised in the
   current thread or the execution stack returns to a frame where
   another exception is being handled.

   Warning: Assigning the *traceback* return value to a local variable in a
     function that is handling an exception will cause a circular
     reference.  This will prevent anything referenced by a local
     variable in the same function or by the traceback from being
     garbage collected.  Since most functions don't need access to the
     traceback, the best solution is to use something like ``exctype,
     value = sys.exc_info()[:2]`` to extract only the exception type
     and value.  If you do need the traceback, make sure to delete it
     after use (best done with a ``try`` ... ``finally`` statement) or
     to call ``exc_info()`` in a function that does not itself handle
     an exception.

   Note: Beginning with Python 2.2, such cycles are automatically
     reclaimed when garbage collection is enabled and they become
     unreachable, but it remains more efficient to avoid creating
     cycles.

sys.exc_clear()

   This function clears all information relating to the current or
   last exception that occurred in the current thread.  After calling
   this function, ``exc_info()`` will return three ``None`` values
   until another exception is raised in the current thread or the
   execution stack returns to a frame where another exception is being
   handled.

   This function is only needed in only a few obscure situations.
   These include logging and error handling systems that report
   information on the last or current exception.  This function can
   also be used to try to free resources and trigger object
   finalization, though no guarantee is made as to what objects will
   be freed, if any.

   New in version 2.3.

sys.exc_type
sys.exc_value
sys.exc_traceback

   Deprecated since version 1.5: Use ``exc_info()`` instead.

   Since they are global variables, they are not specific to the
   current thread, so their use is not safe in a multi-threaded
   program.  When no exception is being handled, ``exc_type`` is set
   to ``None`` and the other two are undefined.

sys.exec_prefix

   A string giving the site-specific directory prefix where the
   platform-dependent Python files are installed; by default, this is
   also ``'/usr/local'``.  This can be set at build time with the
   *--exec-prefix* argument to the **configure** script.
   Specifically, all configuration files (e.g. the ``pyconfig.h``
   header file) are installed in the directory ``exec_prefix +
   '/lib/pythonversion/config'``, and shared library modules are
   installed in ``exec_prefix + '/lib/pythonversion/lib-dynload'``,
   where *version* is equal to ``version[:3]``.

sys.executable

   A string giving the name of the executable binary for the Python
   interpreter, on systems where this makes sense.

sys.exit([arg])

   Exit from Python.  This is implemented by raising the
   ``SystemExit`` exception, so cleanup actions specified by finally
   clauses of ``try`` statements are honored, and it is possible to
   intercept the exit attempt at an outer level.  The optional
   argument *arg* can be an integer giving the exit status (defaulting
   to zero), or another type of object.  If it is an integer, zero is
   considered "successful termination" and any nonzero value is
   considered "abnormal termination" by shells and the like.  Most
   systems require it to be in the range 0-127, and produce undefined
   results otherwise.  Some systems have a convention for assigning
   specific meanings to specific exit codes, but these are generally
   underdeveloped; Unix programs generally use 2 for command line
   syntax errors and 1 for all other kind of errors.  If another type
   of object is passed, ``None`` is equivalent to passing zero, and
   any other object is printed to ``sys.stderr`` and results in an
   exit code of 1.  In particular, ``sys.exit("some error message")``
   is a quick way to exit a program when an error occurs.

sys.exitfunc

   This value is not actually defined by the module, but can be set by
   the user (or by a program) to specify a clean-up action at program
   exit.  When set, it should be a parameterless function.  This
   function will be called when the interpreter exits.  Only one
   function may be installed in this way; to allow multiple functions
   which will be called at termination, use the ``atexit`` module.

   Note: The exit function is not called when the program is killed by a
     signal, when a Python fatal internal error is detected, or when
     ``os._exit()`` is called.

   Deprecated since version 2.4: Use ``atexit`` instead.

sys.flags

   The struct sequence *flags* exposes the status of command line
   flags. The attributes are read only.

   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | attribute                      | flag                                       |
   +================================+============================================+
   | ``debug``                      | -d                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``py3k_warning``               | -3                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``division_warning``           | -Q                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``division_new``               | -Qnew                                      |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``inspect``                    | -i                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``interactive``                | -i                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``optimize``                   | -O or -OO                                  |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``dont_write_bytecode``        | -B                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``no_site``                    | -S                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``ignore_environment``         | -E                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``tabcheck``                   | -t or -tt                                  |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``verbose``                    | -v                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+
   | ``unicode``                    | -U                                         |
   +--------------------------------+--------------------------------------------+

   New in version 2.6.

sys.float_info

   A structseq holding information about the float type. It contains
   low level information about the precision and internal
   representation. Please study your system's ``float.h`` for more
   information.

   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | attribute             | explanation                                        |
   +=======================+====================================================+
   | ``epsilon``           | Difference between 1 and the next representable    |
   |                       | floating point number                              |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``dig``               | digits (see ``float.h``)                           |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``mant_dig``          | mantissa digits (see ``float.h``)                  |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``max``               | maximum representable finite float                 |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``max_exp``           | maximum int e such that radix**(e-1) is in the     |
   |                       | range of finite representable floats               |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``max_10_exp``        | maximum int e such that 10**e is in the range of   |
   |                       | finite representable floats                        |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``min``               | Minimum positive normalizer float                  |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``min_exp``           | minimum int e such that radix**(e-1) is a          |
   |                       | normalized float                                   |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``min_10_exp``        | minimum int e such that 10**e is a normalized      |
   |                       | float                                              |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``radix``             | radix of exponent                                  |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+
   | ``rounds``            | addition rounds (see ``float.h``)                  |
   +-----------------------+----------------------------------------------------+

   Note: The information in the table is simplified.

   New in version 2.6.

sys.getcheckinterval()

   Return the interpreter's "check interval"; see
   ``setcheckinterval()``.

   New in version 2.3.

sys.getdefaultencoding()

   Return the name of the current default string encoding used by the
   Unicode implementation.

   New in version 2.0.

sys.getdlopenflags()

   Return the current value of the flags that are used for ``dlopen``
   calls. The flag constants are defined in the ``dl`` and ``DLFCN``
   modules. Availability: Unix.

   New in version 2.2.

sys.getfilesystemencoding()

   Return the name of the encoding used to convert Unicode filenames
   into system file names, or ``None`` if the system default encoding
   is used. The result value depends on the operating system:

   * On Windows 9x, the encoding is "mbcs".

   * On Mac OS X, the encoding is "utf-8".

   * On Unix, the encoding is the user's preference according to the
     result of nl_langinfo(CODESET), or ``None`` if the
     ``nl_langinfo(CODESET)`` failed.

   * On Windows NT+, file names are Unicode natively, so no conversion
     is performed. ``getfilesystemencoding()`` still returns
     ``'mbcs'``, as this is the encoding that applications should use
     when they explicitly want to convert Unicode strings to byte
     strings that are equivalent when used as file names.

   New in version 2.3.

sys.getrefcount(object)

   Return the reference count of the *object*.  The count returned is
   generally one higher than you might expect, because it includes the
   (temporary) reference as an argument to ``getrefcount()``.

sys.getrecursionlimit()

   Return the current value of the recursion limit, the maximum depth
   of the Python interpreter stack.  This limit prevents infinite
   recursion from causing an overflow of the C stack and crashing
   Python.  It can be set by ``setrecursionlimit()``.

sys.getsizeof(object[, default])

   Return the size of an object in bytes. The object can be any type
   of object. All built-in objects will return correct results, but
   this does not have to hold true for third-party extensions as it is
   implementation specific.

   The *default* argument allows to define a value which will be
   returned if the object type does not provide means to retrieve the
   size and would cause a *TypeError*.

   func:*getsizeof* calls the object's __sizeof__ method and adds an
   additional garbage collector overhead if the object is managed by
   the garbage collector.

   New in version 2.6.

sys._getframe([depth])

   Return a frame object from the call stack.  If optional integer
   *depth* is given, return the frame object that many calls below the
   top of the stack.  If that is deeper than the call stack,
   ``ValueError`` is raised.  The default for *depth* is zero,
   returning the frame at the top of the call stack.

   This function should be used for internal and specialized purposes
   only.

sys.getprofile()

   Get the profiler function as set by ``setprofile()``.

   New in version 2.6.

sys.gettrace()

   Get the trace function as set by ``settrace()``.

   Note: The ``gettrace()`` function is intended only for implementing
     debuggers, profilers, coverage tools and the like. Its behavior
     is part of the implementation platform, rather than part of the
     language definition, and thus may not be available in all Python
     implementations.

   New in version 2.6.

sys.getwindowsversion()

   Return a tuple containing five components, describing the Windows
   version currently running.  The elements are *major*, *minor*,
   *build*, *platform*, and *text*.  *text* contains a string while
   all other values are integers.

   *platform* may be one of the following values:

   +-------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
   | Constant                                  | Platform                  |
   +===========================================+===========================+
   | ``0 (VER_PLATFORM_WIN32s)``               | Win32s on Windows 3.1     |
   +-------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
   | ``1 (VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_WINDOWS)``        | Windows 95/98/ME          |
   +-------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
   | ``2 (VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_NT)``             | Windows NT/2000/XP/x64    |
   +-------------------------------------------+---------------------------+
   | ``3 (VER_PLATFORM_WIN32_CE)``             | Windows CE                |
   +-------------------------------------------+---------------------------+

   This function wraps the Win32 ``GetVersionEx`` function; see the
   Microsoft documentation for more information about these fields.

   Availability: Windows.

   New in version 2.3.

sys.hexversion

   The version number encoded as a single integer.  This is guaranteed
   to increase with each version, including proper support for non-
   production releases.  For example, to test that the Python
   interpreter is at least version 1.5.2, use:

      if sys.hexversion >= 0x010502F0:
          # use some advanced feature
          ...
      else:
          # use an alternative implementation or warn the user
          ...

   This is called ``hexversion`` since it only really looks meaningful
   when viewed as the result of passing it to the built-in ``hex()``
   function.  The ``version_info`` value may be used for a more human-
   friendly encoding of the same information.

   New in version 1.5.2.

sys.last_type
sys.last_value
sys.last_traceback

   These three variables are not always defined; they are set when an
   exception is not handled and the interpreter prints an error
   message and a stack traceback. Their intended use is to allow an
   interactive user to import a debugger module and engage in post-
   mortem debugging without having to re-execute the command that
   caused the error.  (Typical use is ``import pdb; pdb.pm()`` to
   enter the post-mortem debugger; see chapter *pdb --- The Python
   Debugger* for more information.)

   The meaning of the variables is the same as that of the return
   values from ``exc_info()`` above.  (Since there is only one
   interactive thread, thread-safety is not a concern for these
   variables, unlike for ``exc_type`` etc.)

sys.maxint

   The largest positive integer supported by Python's regular integer
   type.  This is at least 2**31-1.  The largest negative integer is
   ``-maxint-1`` --- the asymmetry results from the use of 2's
   complement binary arithmetic.

sys.maxsize

   The largest positive integer supported by the platform's Py_ssize_t
   type, and thus the maximum size lists, strings, dicts, and many
   other containers can have.

sys.maxunicode

   An integer giving the largest supported code point for a Unicode
   character.  The value of this depends on the configuration option
   that specifies whether Unicode characters are stored as UCS-2 or
   UCS-4.

sys.meta_path

   A list of *finder* objects that have their ``find_module()``
   methods called to see if one of the objects can find the module to
   be imported. The ``find_module()`` method is called at least with
   the absolute name of the module being imported. If the module to be
   imported is contained in package then the parent package's
   ``__path__`` attribute is passed in as a second argument. The
   method returns ``None`` if the module cannot be found, else returns
   a *loader*.

   ``sys.meta_path`` is searched before any implicit default finders
   or ``sys.path``.

   See **PEP 302** for the original specification.

sys.modules

   This is a dictionary that maps module names to modules which have
   already been loaded.  This can be manipulated to force reloading of
   modules and other tricks. Note that removing a module from this
   dictionary is *not* the same as calling ``reload()`` on the
   corresponding module object.

sys.path

   A list of strings that specifies the search path for modules.
   Initialized from the environment variable **PYTHONPATH**, plus an
   installation-dependent default.

   As initialized upon program startup, the first item of this list,
   ``path[0]``, is the directory containing the script that was used
   to invoke the Python interpreter.  If the script directory is not
   available (e.g.  if the interpreter is invoked interactively or if
   the script is read from standard input), ``path[0]`` is the empty
   string, which directs Python to search modules in the current
   directory first.  Notice that the script directory is inserted
   *before* the entries inserted as a result of **PYTHONPATH**.

   A program is free to modify this list for its own purposes.

   Changed in version 2.3: Unicode strings are no longer ignored.

   See also:

      Module ``site`` This describes how to use .pth files to extend
      ``sys.path``.

sys.path_hooks

   A list of callables that take a path argument to try to create a
   *finder* for the path. If a finder can be created, it is to be
   returned by the callable, else raise ``ImportError``.

   Originally specified in **PEP 302**.

sys.path_importer_cache

   A dictionary acting as a cache for *finder* objects. The keys are
   paths that have been passed to ``sys.path_hooks`` and the values
   are the finders that are found. If a path is a valid file system
   path but no explicit finder is found on ``sys.path_hooks`` then
   ``None`` is stored to represent the implicit default finder should
   be used. If the path is not an existing path then
   ``imp.NullImporter`` is set.

   Originally specified in **PEP 302**.

sys.platform

   This string contains a platform identifier that can be used to
   append platform-specific components to ``sys.path``, for instance.

   For Unix systems, this is the lowercased OS name as returned by
   ``uname -s`` with the first part of the version as returned by
   ``uname -r`` appended, e.g. ``'sunos5'`` or ``'linux2'``, *at the
   time when Python was built*. For other systems, the values are:

   +------------------+-----------------------------+
   | System           | ``platform`` value          |
   +==================+=============================+
   | Windows          | ``'win32'``                 |
   +------------------+-----------------------------+
   | Windows/Cygwin   | ``'cygwin'``                |
   +------------------+-----------------------------+
   | Mac OS X         | ``'darwin'``                |
   +------------------+-----------------------------+
   | OS/2             | ``'os2'``                   |
   +------------------+-----------------------------+
   | OS/2 EMX         | ``'os2emx'``                |
   +------------------+-----------------------------+
   | RiscOS           | ``'riscos'``                |
   +------------------+-----------------------------+
   | AtheOS           | ``'atheos'``                |
   +------------------+-----------------------------+

sys.prefix

   A string giving the site-specific directory prefix where the
   platform independent Python files are installed; by default, this
   is the string ``'/usr/local'``.  This can be set at build time with
   the *--prefix* argument to the **configure** script.  The main
   collection of Python library modules is installed in the directory
   ``prefix + '/lib/pythonversion'`` while the platform independent
   header files (all except ``pyconfig.h``) are stored in ``prefix +
   '/include/pythonversion'``, where *version* is equal to
   ``version[:3]``.

sys.ps1
sys.ps2

   Strings specifying the primary and secondary prompt of the
   interpreter.  These are only defined if the interpreter is in
   interactive mode.  Their initial values in this case are ``'>>> '``
   and ``'... '``.  If a non-string object is assigned to either
   variable, its ``str()`` is re-evaluated each time the interpreter
   prepares to read a new interactive command; this can be used to
   implement a dynamic prompt.

sys.py3kwarning

   Bool containing the status of the Python 3.0 warning flag. It's
   ``True`` when Python is started with the -3 option.  (This should
   be considered read-only; setting it to a different value doesn't
   have an effect on Python 3.0 warnings.)

   New in version 2.6.

sys.dont_write_bytecode

   If this is true, Python won't try to write ``.pyc`` or ``.pyo``
   files on the import of source modules.  This value is initially set
   to ``True`` or ``False`` depending on the ``-B`` command line
   option and the ``PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE`` environment variable,
   but you can set it yourself to control bytecode file generation.

   New in version 2.6.

sys.setcheckinterval(interval)

   Set the interpreter's "check interval".  This integer value
   determines how often the interpreter checks for periodic things
   such as thread switches and signal handlers.  The default is
   ``100``, meaning the check is performed every 100 Python virtual
   instructions. Setting it to a larger value may increase performance
   for programs using threads.  Setting it to a value ``<=`` 0 checks
   every virtual instruction, maximizing responsiveness as well as
   overhead.

sys.setdefaultencoding(name)

   Set the current default string encoding used by the Unicode
   implementation.  If *name* does not match any available encoding,
   ``LookupError`` is raised. This function is only intended to be
   used by the ``site`` module implementation and, where needed, by
   ``sitecustomize``.  Once used by the ``site`` module, it is removed
   from the ``sys`` module's namespace.

   New in version 2.0.

sys.setdlopenflags(n)

   Set the flags used by the interpreter for ``dlopen`` calls, such as
   when the interpreter loads extension modules.  Among other things,
   this will enable a lazy resolving of symbols when importing a
   module, if called as ``sys.setdlopenflags(0)``.  To share symbols
   across extension modules, call as ``sys.setdlopenflags(dl.RTLD_NOW
   | dl.RTLD_GLOBAL)``.  Symbolic names for the flag modules can be
   either found in the ``dl`` module, or in the ``DLFCN`` module. If
   ``DLFCN`` is not available, it can be generated from
   ``/usr/include/dlfcn.h`` using the **h2py** script. Availability:
   Unix.

   New in version 2.2.

sys.setprofile(profilefunc)

   Set the system's profile function, which allows you to implement a
   Python source code profiler in Python.  See chapter *The Python
   Profilers* for more information on the Python profiler.  The
   system's profile function is called similarly to the system's trace
   function (see ``settrace()``), but it isn't called for each
   executed line of code (only on call and return, but the return
   event is reported even when an exception has been set).  The
   function is thread-specific, but there is no way for the profiler
   to know about context switches between threads, so it does not make
   sense to use this in the presence of multiple threads. Also, its
   return value is not used, so it can simply return ``None``.

sys.setrecursionlimit(limit)

   Set the maximum depth of the Python interpreter stack to *limit*.
   This limit prevents infinite recursion from causing an overflow of
   the C stack and crashing Python.

   The highest possible limit is platform-dependent.  A user may need
   to set the limit higher when she has a program that requires deep
   recursion and a platform that supports a higher limit.  This should
   be done with care, because a too-high limit can lead to a crash.

sys.settrace(tracefunc)

   Set the system's trace function, which allows you to implement a
   Python source code debugger in Python.  The function is thread-
   specific; for a debugger to support multiple threads, it must be
   registered using ``settrace()`` for each thread being debugged.

   Trace functions should have three arguments: *frame*, *event*, and
   *arg*. *frame* is the current stack frame.  *event* is a string:
   ``'call'``, ``'line'``, ``'return'``, ``'exception'``,
   ``'c_call'``, ``'c_return'``, or ``'c_exception'``. *arg* depends
   on the event type.

   The trace function is invoked (with *event* set to ``'call'``)
   whenever a new local scope is entered; it should return a reference
   to a local trace function to be used that scope, or ``None`` if the
   scope shouldn't be traced.

   The local trace function should return a reference to itself (or to
   another function for further tracing in that scope), or ``None`` to
   turn off tracing in that scope.

   The events have the following meaning:

   ``'call'``
      A function is called (or some other code block entered).  The
      global trace function is called; *arg* is ``None``; the return
      value specifies the local trace function.

   ``'line'``
      The interpreter is about to execute a new line of code
      (sometimes multiple line events on one line exist).  The local
      trace function is called; *arg* is ``None``; the return value
      specifies the new local trace function.

   ``'return'``
      A function (or other code block) is about to return.  The local
      trace function is called; *arg* is the value that will be
      returned.  The trace function's return value is ignored.

   ``'exception'``
      An exception has occurred.  The local trace function is called;
      *arg* is a tuple ``(exception, value, traceback)``; the return
      value specifies the new local trace function.

   ``'c_call'``
      A C function is about to be called.  This may be an extension
      function or a builtin.  *arg* is the C function object.

   ``'c_return'``
      A C function has returned. *arg* is ``None``.

   ``'c_exception'``
      A C function has thrown an exception.  *arg* is ``None``.

   Note that as an exception is propagated down the chain of callers,
   an ``'exception'`` event is generated at each level.

   For more information on code and frame objects, refer to *The
   standard type hierarchy*.

   Note: The ``settrace()`` function is intended only for implementing
     debuggers, profilers, coverage tools and the like. Its behavior
     is part of the implementation platform, rather than part of the
     language definition, and thus may not be available in all Python
     implementations.

sys.settscdump(on_flag)

   Activate dumping of VM measurements using the Pentium timestamp
   counter, if *on_flag* is true. Deactivate these dumps if *on_flag*
   is off. The function is available only if Python was compiled with
   *--with-tsc*. To understand the output of this dump, read
   ``Python/ceval.c`` in the Python sources.

   New in version 2.4.

sys.stdin
sys.stdout
sys.stderr

   File objects corresponding to the interpreter's standard input,
   output and error streams.  ``stdin`` is used for all interpreter
   input except for scripts but including calls to ``input()`` and
   ``raw_input()``.  ``stdout`` is used for the output of ``print``
   and *expression* statements and for the prompts of ``input()`` and
   ``raw_input()``. The interpreter's own prompts and (almost all of)
   its error messages go to ``stderr``.  ``stdout`` and ``stderr``
   needn't be built-in file objects: any object is acceptable as long
   as it has a ``write()`` method that takes a string argument.
   (Changing these objects doesn't affect the standard I/O streams of
   processes executed by ``os.popen()``, ``os.system()`` or the
   ``exec*()`` family of functions in the ``os`` module.)

sys.__stdin__
sys.__stdout__
sys.__stderr__

   These objects contain the original values of ``stdin``, ``stderr``
   and ``stdout`` at the start of the program.  They are used during
   finalization, and could be useful to print to the actual standard
   stream no matter if the ``sys.std*`` object has been redirected.

   It can also be used to restore the actual files to known working
   file objects in case they have been overwritten with a broken
   object.  However, the preferred way to do this is to explicitly
   save the previous stream before replacing it, and restore the saved
   object.

sys.tracebacklimit

   When this variable is set to an integer value, it determines the
   maximum number of levels of traceback information printed when an
   unhandled exception occurs. The default is ``1000``.  When set to
   ``0`` or less, all traceback information is suppressed and only the
   exception type and value are printed.

sys.version

   A string containing the version number of the Python interpreter
   plus additional information on the build number and compiler used.
   It has a value of the form ``'version (#build_number, build_date,
   build_time) [compiler]'``.  The first three characters are used to
   identify the version in the installation directories (where
   appropriate on each platform).  An example:

      >>> import sys
      >>> sys.version
      '1.5.2 (#0 Apr 13 1999, 10:51:12) [MSC 32 bit (Intel)]'

sys.api_version

   The C API version for this interpreter.  Programmers may find this
   useful when debugging version conflicts between Python and
   extension modules.

   New in version 2.3.

sys.version_info

   A tuple containing the five components of the version number:
   *major*, *minor*, *micro*, *releaselevel*, and *serial*.  All
   values except *releaselevel* are integers; the release level is
   ``'alpha'``, ``'beta'``, ``'candidate'``, or ``'final'``.  The
   ``version_info`` value corresponding to the Python version 2.0 is
   ``(2, 0, 0, 'final', 0)``.

   New in version 2.0.

sys.warnoptions

   This is an implementation detail of the warnings framework; do not
   modify this value.  Refer to the ``warnings`` module for more
   information on the warnings framework.

sys.winver

   The version number used to form registry keys on Windows platforms.
   This is stored as string resource 1000 in the Python DLL.  The
   value is normally the first three characters of ``version``.  It is
   provided in the ``sys`` module for informational purposes;
   modifying this value has no effect on the registry keys used by
   Python. Availability: Windows.
