i tried to compile a python module called distance, whith c "python setup.py install --with-c" using msvc 2017 on windows 10, i got this error ,

Cdistance / distance.c (647): error C2099: initializer is not aconstant

Cdistance / distance.c (689): error C2099: initializer is not aconstant

Error: command 'C: \ Program Files (x86) \ Microsoft Visual Studio \2017 \ BuildTools \ VC \ Tools \ MSVC \ 14.10.25017 \ bin \ HostX64 \x64 \ cl .exe 'failed with exit status 2

here is the code on line 647

   646 PyTypeObject IFastComp_Type = {647     PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(&PyType_Type, 0)648  "distance.ifast_comp", /* tp_name */649  sizeof(ItorState), /* tp_basicsize */650  0, /* tp_itemsize */(destructor)itor_dealloc, /* tp_dealloc */0, /* tp_print */0, /* tp_getattr */0, /* tp_setattr */0, /* tp_reserved */0, /* tp_repr */0, /* tp_as_number */0, /* tp_as_sequence */0, /* tp_as_mapping */0, /* tp_hash */0, /* tp_call */0, /* tp_str */0, /* tp_getattro */0, /* tp_setattro */0, /* tp_as_buffer */Py_TPFLAGS_DEFAULT, /* tp_flags */ifast_comp_doc, /* tp_doc */0, /* tp_traverse */0, /* tp_clear */0, /* tp_richcompare */0, /* tp_weaklistoffset */PyObject_SelfIter, /* tp_iter */(iternextfunc)ifastcomp_next, /* tp_iternext */0, /* tp_methods */0, /* tp_members */0, /* tp_getset */0, /* tp_base */0, /* tp_dict */0, /* tp_descr_get */0, /* tp_descr_set */0, /* tp_dictoffset */0, /* tp_init */PyType_GenericAlloc, /* tp_alloc */ifastcomp_new, /* tp_new */};

in the line 689 is another like strucure,

688  PyTypeObject ILevenshtein_Type = {
689     PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(&PyType_Type, 0)"distance.ilevenshtein", /* tp_name */sizeof(ItorState), /* tp_basicsize */0, /* tp_itemsize */(destructor)itor_dealloc, /* tp_dealloc */0, /* tp_print */0, /* tp_getattr */0, /* tp_setattr */0, /* tp_reserved */0, /* tp_repr */

both referenced as follow, in the same page

762 if (PyType_Ready(&IFastComp_Type) != 0 || PyType_Ready(&ILevenshtein_Type)!= 0)
763 #if PY_MAJOR_VERSION >= 3return NULL;#elsereturn;#endifPy_INCREF((PyObject *)&IFastComp_Type);Py_INCREF((PyObject *)&ILevenshtein_Type);

thanks

i have found the solution, by looking to the definition of the structure PyTypeObject PyTypeObject , i have changed yVarObject_HEAD_INIT(&PyType_Type, 0) by PyVarObject_HEAD_INIT(NULL, 0) and it compiles successfully, and i have tried some functions and it works, so the error is caused by &PyType_Type which is a PyObject*, i know that because IFastComp_Type is a globale varailble it should be initialised by a constante, but i still don't know why the author of the module gave &PyType_Type as argument , thank you all for your comments.