I'm writing a Python class in C and I want to put assertions in my debug code. assert.h suits me fine. This only gets put in debug compiles so there's no chance of an assert failure impacting a user of the Python code*.

I'm trying to divide my 'library' code (which should be separate to the code linked against Python) so I can use it from other C code. My Python methods are therefore thinnish wrappers around my pure-C code.

So I can't do this in my 'library' code:

if (black == white)
{
    PyErr_SetString(PyExc_RuntimeError, "Remap failed");
}

because this pollutes my pure-C code with Python. It's also far uglier than a simple

assert(black != white);

I believe that the Distutils compiler always sets NDEBUG, which means I can't use assert.h even in debug builds.

Mac OS and Linux.

Help!

*one argument I've heard against asserting in C code called from Python.