Chapter 4. The Power Of Introspection

This chapter covers one of Python's strengths: introspection. As you know, everything in Python is an object, and introspection is code looking at other modules and functions in memory as objects, getting information about them, and manipulating them. Along the way, you'll define functions with no name, call functions with arguments out of order, and reference functions whose names you don't even know ahead of time.

4.1. Diving In

Here is a complete, working Python program. You should understand a good deal about it just by looking at it. The numbered lines illustrate concepts covered in Chapter 2, Your First Python Program. Don't worry if the rest of the code looks intimidating; you'll learn all about it throughout this chapter.

Example 4.1. `apihelper.py`

If you have not already done so, you can download this and other examples used in this book.


def info(object, spacing=10, collapse=1):   
    """Print methods and docstrings.
    
    Takes module, class, list, dictionary, or string."""
    methodList = [method for method in dir(object) if callable(getattr(object, method))]
    processFunc = collapse and (lambda s: " ".join(s.split())) or (lambda s: s)
    print "\n".join(["%s %s" %
                      (method.ljust(spacing),
                       processFunc(str(getattr(object, method).__doc__)))
                     for method in methodList])

if __name__ == "__main__":                 
    print info.__doc__

	This module has one function, `info`. According to its function declaration, it takes three parameters: `object`, `spacing`, and `collapse`. The last two are actually optional parameters, as you'll see shortly.
	The `info` function has a multi-line `docstring` that succinctly describes the function's purpose. Note that no return value is mentioned; this function will be used solely for its effects, rather than its value.
	Code within the function is indented.
	The `if __name__` trick allows this program do something useful when run by itself, without interfering with its use as a module for other programs. In this case, the program simply prints out the `docstring` of the `info` function.
	`if` statements use `==` for comparison, and parentheses are not required.

The info function is designed to be used by you, the programmer, while working in the Python IDE. It takes any object that has functions or methods (like a module, which has functions, or a list, which has methods) and prints out the functions and their docstrings.

Example 4.2. Sample Usage of `apihelper.py`

>>> from apihelper import info
>>> li = []
>>> info(li)
append     L.append(object) -- append object to end
count      L.count(value) -> integer -- return number of occurrences of value
extend     L.extend(list) -- extend list by appending list elements
index      L.index(value) -> integer -- return index of first occurrence of value
insert     L.insert(index, object) -- insert object before index
pop        L.pop([index]) -> item -- remove and return item at index (default last)
remove     L.remove(value) -- remove first occurrence of value
reverse    L.reverse() -- reverse *IN PLACE*
sort       L.sort([cmpfunc]) -- sort *IN PLACE*; if given, cmpfunc(x, y) -> -1, 0, 1

By default the output is formatted to be easy to read. Multi-line docstrings are collapsed into a single long line, but this option can be changed by specifying 0 for the collapse argument. If the function names are longer than 10 characters, you can specify a larger value for the spacing argument to make the output easier to read.

Example 4.3. Advanced Usage of `apihelper.py`

>>> import odbchelper
>>> info(odbchelper)
buildConnectionString Build a connection string from a dictionary Returns string.
>>> info(odbchelper, 30)
buildConnectionString          Build a connection string from a dictionary Returns string.
>>> info(odbchelper, 30, 0)
buildConnectionString          Build a connection string from a dictionary
    
    Returns string.

Dive Into Python