API documentation

class bitpack.BitField(name, index, width, data_type)

Bases: object

A class representing a single field within a BitStream. It handles the serialization / deserialization of the values / data that is passed to it. The following constructor parameters are available:

Parameters:
  • name – the name of the field as it was declared
  • index – integer, used to keep the order of fields as declared
  • width – integer, the needed bit-width for the data
  • data_type – unique identifier of the data type for which there exists a registered serializer / deserializer
data_type

Returns the data type of the field that was specified in the field declaration.

deserialize(bits)

Perform deserialization of the passed in data and return it in it’s deserialized form.

Parameters:bits – data to be deserialized
name

Returns the name of the field by which it was declared on the BitStream class.

classmethod register_data_type(data_type, serializer_fn, deserializer_fn)

Add a new data serializer and deserializer to all BitField objects (including subclasses as well).

Parameters:
  • data_type – name of the type
  • serializer_fn – function that performs serialization
  • deserializer_fn – function that performs deserialization
serialize(value)

Perform serialization of the passed in value and return it in it’s serialized form.

Parameters:value – value to be serialized
width

Returns the bit-width of the field that was specified in the field declaration.

class bitpack.BitStream(data)

Bases: object

Expected to be subclasses and fields declared on subclasses that define in what way should the data be serialized and deserialized.

Overridable attributes:

Attr start_marker:
 A string used to indicate the start of a data record in it’s serialized form.
Attr end_marker:
 A string used to indicate the end of a data record in it’s serialized form.

Constructor arguments:

Parameters:data –

it serves multiple purposes: - as a string it represents the data to be deserialized - as an iterable of dicts it’s the source data to be

serialized
deserialize()

Perform deserialization of the data that was passed to the constructor and return it in it’s deserialized form.

end_marker = None
classmethod from_bytes(raw_bytes)

Helper method to instantiate a class with the passed in raw_bytes and implicitly call and return the result of it’s deserialize method.

Parameters:raw_bytes – data to be deserialized
serialize()

Perform serialization of the data that was passed to the constructor and return it in it’s serialized form.

start_marker = None
classmethod to_bytes(raw_data)

Helper method to instantiate a class with the passed in raw_data and implicitly call and return the result of it’s serialize method.

Parameters:raw_data – data to be serialized
bitpack.register_data_type(data_type, serializer_fn, deserializer_fn)

Add a new data serializer and deserializer to all BitField objects (including subclasses as well). This is just a helper function that simply delegates calls to the classmethod on BitField itself.

Parameters:
  • data_type – name of the type
  • serializer_fn – function that performs serialization
  • deserializer_fn – function that performs deserialization