Overview of Jython Documentation

There is a variety of documentation available to help you learn to use Jython. We will be expanding this information in the future so check back here often. You can use the sidebar you see on the left side of this page as a table of contents to easily jump to the documentation you're interested in. A more detailed description of these links is provided below.

Jython Specific Documentation

• For a one-page introduction to what Jython is, and why you should care, check out What is Jython?.
• Here is information on invoking the Jython interpreter by typing jython at the shell prompt.
• The Jython registry replaces environment variables for PYTHONPATH and more.
• The embedding document describes how to call Jython from a Java application.
• The generated JavaDoc documentation of the API is available as frame and as non-frame versions.
• You might also be interested in building Jython from the source code.

Interaction with Java Packages

• The Basics.
• Working with JavaBean properties, making all Java classes easier to use from Python.
• Special care is necessary to build and use Java arrays from Python.
• This document describes how to subclass Java classes in Python.
• The jythonc utility compiles Python source code to real Java classes, and is used for building applets, servlets, beans, etc.
• Unloading of java classes and internalTablesImpl option.
• Reloading java classes.

General Python Documentation

While Jython has only been publically available for eight months, the Python language has been around for many years. The majority of the standard Python documentation applies to Jython. A few very handy places to look are:

• The Python Tutorial (start here)
• The Python Library Reference. Although many of these modules are not yet implemented (those coded in C for CPython must be re-implemented in Java for Jython), experience Python programmers keep the Library Reference Manual under their pillow for easy access.
• The Python Language Reference (for language lawyers).

Other Useful Links

• Jython and CPython are two different implementations of the same language. There are naturally some differences between the two implementations, sometimes reflecting undefined aspects of the Python language, sometimes reflecting quirks of the independent implementations. Here is a more detailed discussion and comparision of Jython and CPython.
• The Jython FAQ may already contain the answer to your question...
• ...and if it doesn't, then the Jython-users mailing list archives might help.
• You might also be interested in reading Jim Hugunin's JPython paper, which appeared in the proceedings of the 6th International Python Conference.

Peer-to-Peer Help

• The jython-users mailing list.
• The comp.lang.python newsgroup.
• Jython's developers, who can be reached at jython-dev@lists.sourceforge.net.