Say I have the following:
def func():
print 'this is a function and not a method!!!'
class Test:
def TestFunc(self):
print 'this is Test::TestFunc method'
I have the following functions (which are taken from https://bitbucket.org/agronholm/apscheduler/src/d2f00d9ac019/apscheduler/util.py):
def get_callable_name(func):
"""
Returns the best available display name for the given function/callable.
"""
f_self = getattr(func, '__self__', None) or getattr(func, 'im_self', None)
if f_self and hasattr(func, '__name__'):
if isinstance(f_self, type):
# class method
clsname = getattr(f_self, '__qualname__', None) or f_self.__name__
return '%s.%s' % (clsname, func.__name__)
# bound method
return '%s.%s' % (f_self.__class__.__name__, func.__name__)
if hasattr(func, '__call__'):
if hasattr(func, '__name__'):
# function, unbound method or a class with a __call__ method
return func.__name__
# instance of a class with a __call__ method
return func.__class__.__name__
raise TypeError('Unable to determine a name for %s -- '
'maybe it is not a callable?' % repr(func))
def obj_to_ref(obj):
"""
Returns the path to the given object.
"""
ref = '%s:%s' % (obj.__module__, get_callable_name(obj))
try:
obj2 = ref_to_obj(ref)
if obj != obj2:
raise ValueError
except Exception:
raise ValueError('Cannot determine the reference to %s' % repr(obj))
return ref
def ref_to_obj(ref):
"""
Returns the object pointed to by ``ref``.
"""
if not isinstance(ref, basestring):
raise TypeError('References must be strings')
if not ':' in ref:
raise ValueError('Invalid reference')
modulename, rest = ref.split(':', 1)
try:
obj = __import__(modulename)
except ImportError:
raise LookupError('Error resolving reference %s: '
'could not import module' % ref)
try:
for name in modulename.split('.')[1:] + rest.split('.'):
obj = getattr(obj, name)
return obj
except Exception:
raise LookupError('Error resolving reference %s: '
'error looking up object' % ref)
The above functions - obj_to_ref returns a textual reference to a given function object and ref_to_obj returns an object for the given textual reference. For example, lets try the func function.
>>>
>>> func
<function func at 0xb7704924>
>>>
>>> obj_to_ref(func)
'__main__:func'
>>>
>>> ref_to_obj('__main__:func')
<function func at 0xb7704924>
>>>
The func function is working fine. But when tried to use these function on an instance of the class Test, it couldn't get a textual reference.
>>>
>>> t = Test()
>>>
>>> t
<__main__.Test instance at 0xb771b28c>
>>>
>>> t.TestFunc
<bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0xb771b28c>>
>>>
>>>
>>> obj_to_ref(t.TestFunc)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
File "<stdin>", line 11, in obj_to_ref
ValueError: Cannot determine the reference to <bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0xb771b28c>>
>>>
>>>
The obj_to_ref function for the given input t.TestFunc comes up with __main__:Test.TestFunc as a textual representation but the same text cannot be used to generate the object.
Question:
Is there a way in Python where we can represent an object like
>>> t.TestFunc
<bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0xb771b28c>>
>>>
in a string and reconstruct the object from the string?
Would it be possible if we save the address 0xb771b28c as a part of the string and regenerate the object by dereferencing this address?!
Your question is interesting but tangled.
1) You shouldn't call func the parameter of get_callable_name(func)
In my answer I replaced it by X.
2) You put a part of the code at a wrong place.
try:
obj2 = ref_to_obj(ref)
print 'obj != obj2 : ',obj != obj2
if obj != obj2:
raise ValueError
except Exception:
raise ValueError('Cannot determine the reference to %s' % repr(obj))
return ref
has nothing to do inside obj_to_ref()
In my answer, I moved it outside of this function.
3) The visible reason of the problem of your code is that the reference obtained for object t.TestFunc (passed to parameter X in my code) is '__main__:Test.TestFunc' , not '__main__:t.TestFunc' as it "should" be.
The secretive step where this is decided is in the function get_callable_name() as said by entropy.
Since f.self is tand X has a name (TestFunc) but is not a class of type type (since t is an instance) ,
the instruction return '%s.%s' % (f_self.__class__.__name__, X.__name__) is executed.
But you're wrong to put the expression f_self.__class__.__name : it is the name of the class of t , not the name of t itself.
.
The problem is that , unlikely to a class (that has an attribute __name__), nothing is intended in the Python language to furnish the name of an instance on demand: an instance has not the same kind of attribute __name__ as a class, that would give the instance's name.
So , being uneasy to get it, a sort of bypass must be employed.
Every time an unreferenced name is needed, the bypass is to search among all the names of a namespace and to test the corresponding object against the concerned object.
That's what does the function get__callable_name() of entropy.
.
With this function, it works.
But I want to underline that it's only a tricky bypass that has not a real fundament.
I mean that the name t.TestFunc for the method is an illusion. There's a subtlety: there is no method belonging to an instance. That seems a weird pretention, but I'm sure it's the truth.
The fact that we call a method thanks to an expression like t.TestFunc leads to the believing that TestFunc belongs to the instance. In reality it belongs to the class and Python goes from an instance to it's class to find the method.
I do not invent anything, I've read it:
A class instance has a namespace implemented as a dictionary which is the first place in which attribute references are searched. When an attribute is not found there, and the instance’s class has an attribute by that name, the search continues with the class attributes. If a class attribute is found that is a user-defined function object or an unbound user-defined method object whose associated class is the class (call it C) of the instance for which the attribute reference was initiated or one of its bases, it is transformed into a bound user-defined method object whose im_class attribute is C and whose im_self attribute is the instance.
http://docs.python.org/2/reference/datamodel.html#new-style-and-classic-classes
But well, it's another story on which I will be disputed, I think, and I 've no time to engage in that.
Just verify the following point:
despite the fact that getattr(t,"TestFunc") gives :
<bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0x011D8DC8>>
the method TestFunc is not in the namespace of t :
the result of t.__dict__ is { } !
I just wanted to point it out because the function get_callable_name() only reproduces and mimics the apparent behavior and implementation of Python.
However the real behavior and implementation under the hood is different.
.
In the following code, I get the good result by using the isntruction
return '%s.%s' % ('t', X.__name__) instead of
return '%s.%s' % (f_self.__class__.__name__, func.__name__) or
return '%s.%s' % (variable_name_in_module(__import__(f_self.__module__), f_self),
func.__name__)
because it's essentially what does the function get_callanle_name() (it doesn't uses a normal process, it uses a craftiness)
def get_callable_name(X):
"""
Returns the best available display name for the given function/callable.
"""
print '- inside get_callable_name()'
print ' object X arriving in get_callable_name() :\n ',X
f_self = getattr(X, '__self__', None) or getattr(X, 'im_self', None)
print ' X.__call__ ==',X.__call__
print ' X.__name__ ==',X.__name__
print '\n X.__self__== X.im_self ==',f_self
print ' isinstance(%r, type) is %r' % (f_self,isinstance(f_self, type))
if f_self and hasattr(X, '__name__'): # it is a method
if isinstance(f_self, type):
# class method
clsname = getattr(f_self, '__qualname__', None) or f_self.__name__
return '%s.%s' % (clsname, X.__name__)
# bound method
print '\n f_self.__class__ ==',f_self.__class__
print ' f_self.__class__.__name__ ==',f_self.__class__.__name__
return '%s.%s' % ('t', X.__name__)
if hasattr(X, '__call__'):
if hasattr(X, '__name__'):
# function, unbound method or a class with a __call__ method
return X.__name__
# instance of a class with a __call__ method
return X.__class__.__name__
raise TypeError('Unable to determine a name for %s -- '
'maybe it is not a callable?' % repr(X))
def obj_to_ref(obj):
"""
Returns the path to the given object.
"""
print '- obj arriving in obj_to_ref :\n %r' % obj
ref = '%s:%s' % (obj.__module__, get_callable_name(obj))
return ref
def ref_to_obj(ref):
"""
Returns the object pointed to by ``ref``.
"""
print '- ref arriving in ref_to_obj == %r' % ref
if not isinstance(ref, basestring):
raise TypeError('References must be strings')
if not ':' in ref:
raise ValueError('Invalid reference')
modulename, rest = ref.split(':', 1)
try:
obj = __import__(modulename)
except ImportError:
raise LookupError('Error resolving reference %s: '
'could not import module' % ref)
print ' we start with dictionary obj == ',obj
try:
for name in modulename.split('.')[1:] + rest.split('.'):
print ' object of name ',name,' searched in',obj
obj = getattr(obj, name)
print ' got obj ==',obj
return obj
except Exception:
raise LookupError('Error resolving reference %s: '
'error looking up object' % ref)
class Test:
def TestFunc(self):
print 'this is Test::TestFunc method'
t = Test()
print 't ==',t
print '\nt.TestFunc ==',t.TestFunc
print "getattr(t,'TestFunc') ==",getattr(t,'TestFunc')
print ('\nTrying to obtain reference of t.TestFunc\n'
'----------------------------------------')
print '- REF = obj_to_ref(t.TestFunc) done'
REF = obj_to_ref(t.TestFunc)
print '\n- REF obtained: %r' % REF
print ("\n\nVerifying what is ref_to_obj(REF)\n"
"---------------------------------")
try:
print '- obj2 = ref_to_obj(REF) done'
obj2 = ref_to_obj(REF)
if obj2 != t.TestFunc:
raise ValueError
except Exception:
raise ValueError('Cannot determine the object of reference %s' % REF)
print '\n- object obtained : ',obj2
result
t == <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>
t.TestFunc == <bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>>
getattr(t,'TestFunc') == <bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>>
Trying to obtain reference of t.TestFunc
----------------------------------------
- REF = obj_to_ref(t.TestFunc) done
- obj arriving in obj_to_ref :
<bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>>
- inside get_callable_name()
object X arriving in get_callable_name() :
<bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>>
X.__call__ == <method-wrapper '__call__' of instancemethod object at 0x011DB990>
X.__name__ == TestFunc
X.__self__== X.im_self == <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>
isinstance(<__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>, type) is False
f_self.__class__ == __main__.Test
f_self.__class__.__name__ == Test
- REF obtained: '__main__:t.TestFunc'
Verifying what is ref_to_obj(REF)
---------------------------------
- obj2 = ref_to_obj(REF) done
- ref arriving in ref_to_obj == '__main__:t.TestFunc'
we start with dictionary obj == <module '__main__' (built-in)>
object of name t searched in <module '__main__' (built-in)>
got obj == <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>
object of name TestFunc searched in <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>
got obj == <bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>>
- object obtained : <bound method Test.TestFunc of <__main__.Test instance at 0x011DF5A8>>
>>>