source: vendor/python/2.5/Objects/stringlib/README.txt

bits shared by the stringobject and unicodeobject implementations (and
possibly other modules, in a not too distant future).

the stuff in here is included into relevant places; see the individual
source files for details.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
the following defines used by the different modules:

STRINGLIB_CHAR

    the type used to hold a character (char or Py_UNICODE)

STRINGLIB_EMPTY

    a PyObject representing the empty string

int STRINGLIB_CMP(STRINGLIB_CHAR*, STRINGLIB_CHAR*, Py_ssize_t)

    compares two strings. returns 0 if they match, and non-zero if not.

Py_ssize_t STRINGLIB_LEN(PyObject*)

    returns the length of the given string object (which must be of the
    right type)

PyObject* STRINGLIB_NEW(STRINGLIB_CHAR*, Py_ssize_t)

    creates a new string object

STRINGLIB_CHAR* STRINGLIB_STR(PyObject*)

    returns the pointer to the character data for the given string
    object (which must be of the right type)