7.8 Other Types in Python

Besides the core objects studied in this chapter, a typical Python installation has dozens of other object types available as linked-in C extensions or Python classes. You'll see examples of a few later in the book—regular expression objects, DBM files, GUI widgets, and so on. The main difference between these extra tools and the built-in types just seen is that the built-ins provide special language creation syntax for their objects (e.g., 4 for an integer, [1,2] for a list, the open function for files). Other tools are generally exported in a built-in module that you must first import to use. See Python's library reference for a comprehensive guide to all the tools available to Python programs.