Import Question ..

[Skulled2003]

Hello,

I have a question on import. I have a file which contains some assorted lists, and some other definitions. But all of the list names have a common part to it and a specific part in the beginning. For example:

# file containing definitions 'def.py'

firstlistCommonPart = []

secondlistCommonPart = []


Now what i want to do is:

# some other file 'some.py'

import def

def dosomething(something)

if something == 'firstlist':
listdef = def.firstlistCommonPart
elif something == 'secondlist':
listdef = def.secondlistCommonPart

This is quite frustrating if i have lots of definitions. So is there a way where i could get something like:

def dosomething(something):

str = something+CommonPart # something is passed as a string
listdef = def.str

basically i am asking if i can pass the string value to get an attribute from the def file. I tried doing something like in the above case, but it returns and tells me def has no attribute str.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Vinod


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[Peter Otten]

import def

def dosomething(something)

if something == 'firstlist':
listdef = def.firstlistCommonPart
elif something == 'secondlist':
listdef = def.secondlistCommonPart

This is quite frustrating if i have lots of definitions. So is there a way
where i could get something like:

Now 'def' is a _really_ bad name for a module - I'll use 'module' instead.

import module

def dosomething(something):
listdef = getattr(module, something + "CommonPart")

Peter

 

[James Henderson]

Now 'def' is a _really_ bad name for a module - I'll use 'module' instead.

import module

def dosomething(something):
listdef = getattr(module, something + "CommonPart")

Peter

Yes, "getattr" is the answer. This came while I was replying so I'll just add
that "str" is also a bad name for a variable (it was in the OP), since it
masks a built in name. "def" is in fact an impossible name for a module:
"import def" is a syntax error (as is "def.firstlistCommonPart") because
"def" is a reserved keyword.

James

 

[Peter Otten]

add that "str" is also a bad name for a variable (it was in the OP), since

Read

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-July/045948.html

on that and become acquiescent...

Peter

 

[James Henderson]

Read

http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2004-July/045948.html

on that and become acquiescent...

Peter

This is what Guido wrote there:

(Not that it isn't a good idea to avoid obvious clashes --
'str' for string variables and 'type' for type variables being the
most obvious stumbling blocks.)

I can accept that.

(Actually, in my haste I didn't notice that "str" was being defined inside a
function. As a global it really would be a no-no.)

James