#include <boost/python.hpp>
#include <boost/shared_ptr.hpp>
#include <vector>

namespace bp = boost::python;

struct A {
    typedef boost::shared_ptr<A> ptr;
};

struct B {
    typedef boost::shared_ptr<B> ptr;
    std::vector<A::ptr> elements;
};


// Proxies B::elements without converting them 
// back and forth between lists.
struct ElementProxy {

    static ElementProxy 
    init(B::ptr b)
    {
        return ElementProxy(b);
    }

    ElementProxy(B::ptr b)
    : b_(b)
    {}

    size_t
    len() 
    {
        return (*b_).elements.size();
    }

    A::ptr
    getitem(size_t i) 
    {
        if (i >= len()) {
            PyErr_SetString(PyExc_IndexError, "Index out of bounds.");
            bp::throw_error_already_set();
        }
        return (*b_).elements[i];
    }

    void
    append(A::ptr e) 
    {
        (*b_).elements.push_back(e);
    }

    static boost::python::class_<ElementProxy> 
    wrap() 
    {
        return bp::class_<ElementProxy>("ElementProxy", bp::no_init)

            .def("__len__", &ElementProxy::len, 
                 (bp::arg("self")),
                 "Returns the number of contained elements"
                 )

            .def("__getitem__", &ElementProxy::getitem, 
                 (bp::arg("self"), bp::arg("i")), 
                 "Returns the element at given index"
                 )

            .def("append", &ElementProxy::append, 
                 (bp::arg("self"), bp::arg("element")), 
                 "Appends an element"
                 )
            ;
    }

private:

    B::ptr b_;
};



BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(foo) {

    bp::class_<A, A::ptr, boost::noncopyable>("A") ;

    ElementProxy::wrap();

    bp::class_<B, B::ptr, boost::noncopyable>("B")
        .add_property("elements", &ElementProxy::init) ;
}