Can python load definitions from a C header file?

It’s possible. I wrote a tool years ago to scan a file for C++ enum syntax using pyparsing. It’s now a pyparsing example that I’ve reproduced here in case the link changes. As you can see the file doesn’t have to even be entirely valid C++. It defines the enum grammar and scans the file for text matching the grammar, generating Python variables.

#
# cpp_enum_parser.py
#
# Posted by Mark Tolonen on comp.lang.python in August, 2009,
# Used with permission.
#
# Parser that scans through C or C++ code for enum definitions, and
# generates corresponding Python constant definitions.
#
#

from pyparsing import *

# sample string with enums and other stuff
sample = """
    stuff before
    enum hello {
        Zero,
        One,
        Two,
        Three,
        Five=5,
        Six,
        Ten=10
        };
    in the middle
    enum blah
        {
        alpha,
        beta,
        gamma = 10 ,
        zeta = 50
        };
    at the end
    """

# syntax we don't want to see in the final parse tree
LBRACE, RBRACE, EQ, COMMA = map(Suppress, "{}=,")
_enum = Suppress("enum")
identifier = Word(alphas, alphanums + "_")
integer = Word(nums)
enumValue = Group(identifier("name") + Optional(EQ + integer("value")))
enumList = Group(enumValue + ZeroOrMore(COMMA + enumValue))
enum = _enum + identifier("enum") + LBRACE + enumList("names") + RBRACE

# find instances of enums ignoring other syntax
for item, start, stop in enum.scanString(sample):
    id = 0
    for entry in item.names:
        if entry.value != "":
            id = int(entry.value)
        print("%s_%s = %d" % (item.enum.upper(), entry.name.upper(), id))
        id += 1

Output:

HELLO_ZERO = 0
HELLO_ONE = 1
HELLO_TWO = 2
HELLO_THREE = 3
HELLO_FIVE = 5
HELLO_SIX = 6
HELLO_TEN = 10
BLAH_ALPHA = 0
BLAH_BETA = 1
BLAH_GAMMA = 10
BLAH_ZETA = 50