Difference between PyMODINIT_FUNC and PyModule_Create

Question

If I\'m understanding correctly,

1. PyMODINIT_FUNC in Python 2.X has been replaced by PyModule_Create in Python3.X

2. Both return PyO

Answer 1

1. Yes, your understanding is correct. You must return the new module object from the initing function with return type PyMODINIT_FUNC. (PyMODINIT_FUNC declares the function to return void in python2, and to return PyObject* in python3.)

2. I can only speculate as to the motivations of the people who made the change, but I believe it was so that errors in importing the module could be more easily identified (you can return NULL from the module-init function in python3 if something went wrong).