# 11.3. `copy_reg` — Register `pickle` support functions

Note

The `copy_reg` module has been renamed to `copyreg` in Python 3. The 2to3 tool will automatically adapt imports when converting your sources to Python 3.

The `copy_reg` module offers a way to define functions used while pickling specific objects. The `pickle`, `cPickle`, and `copy` modules use those functions when pickling/copying those objects. The module provides configuration information about object constructors which are not classes. Such constructors may be factory functions or class instances.

`copy_reg.``constructor`(object)

  Declares object to be a valid constructor. If object is not callable (and hence not valid as a constructor), raises `TypeError`.

`copy_reg.``pickle`(type, function[, constructor])

  Declares that function should be used as a “reduction” function for objects of type type; type must not be a “classic” class object. (Classic classes are handled differently; see the documentation for the `pickle` module for details.) function should return either a string or a tuple containing two or three elements.

  The optional constructor parameter, if provided, is a callable object which can be used to reconstruct the object when called with the tuple of arguments returned by function at pickling time. `TypeError` will be raised if object is a class or constructor is not callable.

  See the `pickle` module for more details on the interface expected of function and constructor.

## 11.3.1. Example

The example below would like to show how to register a pickle function and how it will be used:

    >>> import copy_reg, copy, pickle
    >>> class C(object):
    ...     def __init__(self, a):
    ...         self.a = a
    ...
    >>> def pickle_c(c):
    ...     print("pickling a C instance...")
    ...     return C, (c.a,)
    ...
    >>> copy_reg.pickle(C, pickle_c)
    >>> c = C(1)
    >>> d = copy.copy(c)
    pickling a C instance...
    >>> p = pickle.dumps(c)
    pickling a C instance...