---
name: "sip"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "sip-dev"
version: "4.19.25+dfsg-5+b1"
release: "Debian 12 (Bookworm)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/sip"
---

# sip(1)

generates C++/Python bindings

## NAME

sip - generates C++/Python bindings

## SYNOPSIS

**sip** \[-h\] \[-V\] \[-a file\] \[-b file\] \[-B tag\] \[-c dir\] \[-d file\] \[-D\] \[-e\] \[-f\] \[-g\] \[-I dir\] \[-j number\] \[-k\] \[-m file\] \[-n name\] \[-o\] \[-p module\] \[-P\] \[-r\] \[-s suffix\] \[-t tag\] \[-w\] \[-x feature\] \[-X id:file\] \[-y file\] \[-z file\] \[@file\] \[file\]

## DESCRIPTION

**sip** takes a set of specification files and generates C++ code, documentation and build files.

The format of the needed specification file is similar to a C++ header. sip includes run-time support for the generated code.

## OPTIONS

- **-h**

  Show summary of options.

- **-V**

  Display the sip version number.

- **-a file**

  The name of the QScintilla API file. If not indicated, it will not be generated.

- **-b file**

  The name of the build file. If not indicated, it will not be generated.

- **-B tag**

  Add *tag* to the list of timeline backstops (deprecated).

- **-c dir**

  The name of the directory where generated source file will be put. If not indicated, no code will be generated.

- **-d file**

  The name of the documentation file (deprecated). If not indicated, no documentation will be generated.

- **-D**

  Generate code for a debug build of Python.

- **-e**

  Enable support for exceptions. Disabled by default.

- **-f**

  Handle warnings as errors.

- **-g**

  Always release and reacquire the GIL.

- **-I dir**

  Directory where sip can search for included files.

- **-j number**

  Splits the generated code in *number* files (1 by default). This flag was added for parallel compilation on SMP machines.

- **-k**

  Support keyword arguments in functions and methods.

- **-m file**

  The name of the XML export file. If not indicated, the file will not be generated.

- **-n name**

  The qualified name of the private copy of the sip module.

- **-o**

  Enable the automatic generation of docstrings. Disabled by default.

- **-p module**

  Give the name of the consolidated module this module should be a component of.

- **-P**

  Enable the protected/public hack.

- **-r**

  Enable tracing on generated code.

- **-s suffix**

  The suffix used for generated C or C++ files (".c" or ".cpp" if none specified)

- **-t tag**

  The version/platform to generate code for.

- **-w**

  Enable warning messages.

- **-x feature**

  Disable a feature.

- **-X id:file**

  Create the extracts for an *id* in a *file*.

- **-y file**

  The name of the .pyi stub file to generate. If not indicated, it will not be generated.

- **-z file**

  The name of a file containing additional command line flags. This option is deprecated, use *@file* instead.

- **@file**

  The name of a file containing more command line flags.

- **file**

  The name of the file containing the specification. If you skip it, sip will expect to be fed by stdin.

## AUTHOR

This manual page was written by Ricardo Javier Cardenes Medina \<rcardenes@debian.org\>, Torsten Marek \<shlomme@debian.org\> and Dmitry Shachnev \<mitya57@debian.org\>, for the Debian project (but may be used by others).