gh-75459: Doc: C API: Improve object life cycle documentation

Doc/c-api/allocation.rst

@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ Allocating Objects on the Heap
    reference.  Returns the initialized object.  If *type* indicates that the
    object participates in the cyclic garbage detector, it is added to the
    detector's set of observed objects. Other fields of the object are not
-   affected.
+   initialized.  Specifically, this function does **not** call the object's
+   :meth:`~object.__init__` method (:c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_init` slot).
 
 
 .. c:function:: PyVarObject* PyObject_InitVar(PyVarObject *op, PyTypeObject *type, Py_ssize_t size)
@@ -29,27 +30,44 @@ Allocating Objects on the Heap
 
 .. c:macro:: PyObject_New(TYPE, typeobj)
 
-   Allocate a new Python object using the C structure type *TYPE*
-   and the Python type object *typeobj* (``PyTypeObject*``).
-   Fields not defined by the Python object header are not initialized.
-   The caller will own the only reference to the object
-   (i.e. its reference count will be one).
-   The size of the memory allocation is determined from the
-   :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_basicsize` field of the type object.
+   Calls :c:func:`PyObject_Malloc` to allocate memory for a new Python object
+   using the C structure type *TYPE* and the Python type object *typeobj*
+   (``PyTypeObject*``), then initializes the memory like
+   :c:func:`PyObject_Init`.  The caller will own the only reference to the
+   object (i.e. its reference count will be one).  The size of the memory
+   allocation is determined from the :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_basicsize`
+   field of the type object.
+
+   This does not call :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_alloc`,
+   :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_new` (:meth:`~object.__new__`), or
+   :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_init` (:meth:`~object.__init__`).
+
+   This should not be used for objects with :c:macro:`Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC` set
+   in :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_flags`; use :c:macro:`PyObject_GC_New`
+   instead.
+
+   Memory allocated by this function must be freed with :c:func:`PyObject_Free`.
 
 
 .. c:macro:: PyObject_NewVar(TYPE, typeobj, size)
 
-   Allocate a new Python object using the C structure type *TYPE* and the
-   Python type object *typeobj* (``PyTypeObject*``).
-   Fields not defined by the Python object header
-   are not initialized.  The allocated memory allows for the *TYPE* structure
-   plus *size* (``Py_ssize_t``) fields of the size
-   given by the :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_itemsize` field of
-   *typeobj*.  This is useful for implementing objects like tuples, which are
-   able to determine their size at construction time.  Embedding the array of
-   fields into the same allocation decreases the number of allocations,
-   improving the memory management efficiency.
+   Like :c:macro:`PyObject_New` except:
+
+   * It allocates enough memory for the *TYPE* structure plus *size*
+     (``Py_ssize_t``) fields of the size given by the
+     :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_itemsize` field of *typeobj*.
+   * The memory is initialized like :c:func:`PyObject_InitVar`.
+
+   This is useful for implementing objects like tuples, which are able to
+   determine their size at construction time.  Embedding the array of fields
+   into the same allocation decreases the number of allocations, improving the
+   memory management efficiency.
+
+   This should not be used for objects with :c:macro:`Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC` set
+   in :c:member:`~PyTypeObject.tp_flags`; use :c:macro:`PyObject_GC_NewVar`
+   instead.
+
+   Memory allocated by this function must be freed with :c:func:`PyObject_Free`.
 
 
 .. c:function:: void PyObject_Del(void *op)

Doc/c-api/gcsupport.rst

@@ -57,11 +57,17 @@ rules:
    Analogous to :c:macro:`PyObject_New` but for container objects with the
    :c:macro:`Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC` flag set.
 
+   Memory allocated by this function must be freed with
+   :c:func:`PyObject_GC_Del`.
+
 .. c:macro:: PyObject_GC_NewVar(TYPE, typeobj, size)
 
    Analogous to :c:macro:`PyObject_NewVar` but for container objects with the
    :c:macro:`Py_TPFLAGS_HAVE_GC` flag set.
 
+   Memory allocated by this function must be freed with
+   :c:func:`PyObject_GC_Del`.
+
 .. c:function:: PyObject* PyUnstable_Object_GC_NewWithExtraData(PyTypeObject *type, size_t extra_size)
 
    Analogous to :c:macro:`PyObject_GC_New` but allocates *extra_size*
@@ -73,6 +79,9 @@ rules:
    The extra data will be deallocated with the object, but otherwise it is
    not managed by Python.
 
+   Memory allocated by this function must be freed with
+   :c:func:`PyObject_GC_Del`.
+
    .. warning::
       The function is marked as unstable because the final mechanism
       for reserving extra data after an instance is not yet decided.

Doc/c-api/lifecycle.dot

@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+digraph G {
+   graph [
+     fontname="svg"
+     fontsize=10.0
+     layout="dot"
+     ranksep=0.25
+   ]
+   node [
+     fontname="Courier"
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+   edge [
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+     fontsize=10.0
+   ]
+
+   "start" [fontname="Times-Italic" shape=plain label=<  start  > style=invis]
+   "tp_alloc" [href="typeobj.html#c.PyTypeObject.tp_alloc" target="_top"]
+   "tp_new" [href="typeobj.html#c.PyTypeObject.tp_new" target="_top"]
+   "tp_init" [href="typeobj.html#c.PyTypeObject.tp_init" target="_top"]
+   {
+     rank="same"
+     "alive" [
+       fontname="Times-Italic"
+       label=<alive, ref count &gt; 0>
+       shape=box
+     ]
+     "tp_traverse" [
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+       shape=octagon
+       target="_top"
+     ]
+   }
+   "tp_finalize" [
+     href="typeobj.html#c.PyTypeObject.tp_finalize"
+     shape=octagon
+     target="_top"
+   ]
+   "tp_clear" [
+     href="typeobj.html#c.PyTypeObject.tp_clear"
+     shape=octagon
+     target="_top"
+   ]
+   "tp_dealloc" [
+     href="typeobj.html#c.PyTypeObject.tp_dealloc"
+     ordering="in"
+     target="_top"
+   ]
+   "tp_free" [href="typeobj.html#c.PyTypeObject.tp_free" target="_top"]
+
+   "start" -> "tp_alloc"
+   "tp_alloc" -> "tp_new"
+   "tp_new" -> "tp_init"
+   "tp_init" -> "alive"
+   "tp_traverse" -> "alive"
+   "alive" -> "tp_traverse"
+   "alive" -> "tp_clear" [label=<  cyclic    <br/>isolate    >]
+   "alive" -> "tp_finalize" [
+     dir="back"
+     label=<  resurrected  >
+   ]
+   "alive" -> "tp_finalize" [label=<  cyclic    <br/>isolate    >]
+   "tp_finalize" -> "tp_clear"
+   "tp_finalize" -> "tp_dealloc" [
+     dir="back"
+     href="lifecycle.html#c.PyObject_CallFinalizerFromDealloc"
+     label=<
+       <table border="0" cellborder="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
+         <tr>
+           <td rowspan="4"> </td>
+           <td align="left">optional call to</td>
+           <td rowspan="4">      </td>
+         </tr>
+         <tr>
+           <td align="left"><font face="Courier">PyObject_Call</font></td>
+         </tr>
+         <tr>
+           <td align="left"><font face="Courier">FinalizerFrom</font></td>
+         </tr>
+         <tr><td align="left"><font face="Courier">Dealloc</font></td></tr>
+       </table>
+     >
+     target="_top"
+   ]
+   "tp_finalize" -> "tp_dealloc" [label=<  ref count  <br/>  == 0  >]
+   "tp_clear" -> "tp_dealloc" [label=<  ref count  <br/>  == 0  >]
+   "tp_clear" -> "tp_dealloc" [
+     dir="back"
+     label=<  optional<br/>direct call  >
+   ]
+   "alive" -> "tp_dealloc" [label=<  ref count  <br/>  == 0  >]
+   "tp_dealloc" -> "tp_free" [label=<  directly calls  >]
+}