Listing variables

[vsoler]

Say that a have:

# file test.py
a=7


At the prompt:
import test
dir()

I would like to see the variables created in the test namespace.
However, variable "a" does not appear in the list, only "test". Since
I know that var "a" is reachable from the prompt by means of test.a,
how can I list this sort of variables?

Vicente Soler

 

[Tim Chase]

Say that a have:

# file test.py
a=7


At the prompt:
import test
dir()

I would like to see the variables created in the test namespace.
However, variable "a" does not appear in the list, only "test". Since
I know that var "a" is reachable from the prompt by means of test.a,
how can I list this sort of variables?

dir(test)

works for any scope you want (except in some C modules...was
peeved at mod_python for this reason when I was playing with it a
while back). I use this for debugging all the time:

dir(foo.bar.whatever)

or if I want to remember some less-used method on a string/list/dict:

dir("")
dir([])
dir({})

-tkc

 

[Dave Angel]

Say that a have:

# file test.py
a=7


At the prompt:
import test
dir()

I would like to see the variables created in the test namespace.
However, variable "a" does not appear in the list, only "test". Since
I know that var "a" is reachable from the prompt by means of test.a,
how can I list this sort of variables?

Vicente Soler

dir(test)

 

[vsoler]

Say that a have:

# file test.py
a=7

At the prompt:
import test
dir()

I would like to see the variables created in the test namespace.
However, variable "a" does not appear in the list, only "test". Since
I know that var "a" is reachable from the prompt by means of test.a,
how can I list this sort of variables?

   dir(test)

works for any scope you want (except in some C modules...was
peeved at mod_python for this reason when I was playing with it a
while back).  I use this for debugging all the time:

   dir(foo.bar.whatever)

or if I want to remember some less-used method on a string/list/dict:

   dir("")
   dir([])
   dir({})

-tkc

Tim,

If I just input dir(test) I don't get "a" in my list.
['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', '__package__',
'__path__']
I am using python 2.6

Am I doing anything wrong?

 

[Tim Chase]

If I just input dir(test) I don't get "a" in my list.

['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', '__package__',
'__path__']

I am using python 2.6

Am I doing anything wrong?

Are you importing the module you think you are?

tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ echo "a=42" > test.py
tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ python2.5['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', 'a']


Granted this is 2.5 (the most current I have on my Debian box,
but I also tested in 2.3 and 2.4 which are also installed)
instead of 2.6 but they should all behave the same. If I remove
test.py/test.pyc, I get the following:

tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ rm test.py test.pyc
tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ python2.5

>>> import test
>>> dir(test) ['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', '__path__']
>>> test.__file__

'/usr/lib/python2.5/test/__init__.pyc'

because there's apparently a module named "test" in the standard
distribution that gets found instead.

-tkc

 

[vsoler]

If I just input dir(test) I don't get "a" in my list.

import test
dir(test)

['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', '__package__',
'__path__']

I am using python 2.6

Am I doing anything wrong?

Are you importing the module you think you are?

tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ echo "a=42" > test.py
tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ python2.5
 >>> import test
 >>> dir(test)
['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', 'a']

Granted this is 2.5 (the most current I have on my Debian box,
but I also tested in 2.3 and 2.4 which are also installed)
instead of 2.6 but they should all behave the same.  If I remove
test.py/test.pyc, I get the following:

tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ rm test.py test.pyc
tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ python2.5
 >>> import test
 >>> dir(test)
['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', '__path__']
 >>> test.__file__
'/usr/lib/python2.5/test/__init__.pyc'

because there's apparently a module named "test" in the standard
distribution that gets found instead.

-tkc

Tim,

You were right. When I renamed my test.py file into test77.py it
worked perfectly well. Thank you.

Is there a way to know which test.py it was importing?

 

[Tim Chase]

tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ rm test.py test.pyc

tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ python2.5

import test
dir(test)

['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', '__path__']

test.__file__

'/usr/lib/python2.5/test/__init__.pyc'

because there's apparently a module named "test" in the standard
distribution that gets found instead.

You were right. When I renamed my test.py file into test77.py it
worked perfectly well. Thank you.

Is there a way to know which test.py it was importing?

well, as my simple code showed, you can check test.__file__ or
test.__path__ if you're curious. Python just searches through
your $PYTHONPATH which you can determine at runtime via sys.path

-tkc

 

[vsoler]

tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ rm test.py test.pyc
tim@rubbish:~/tmp$ python2.5
 >>> import test
 >>> dir(test)
['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__file__', '__name__', '__path__']
 >>> test.__file__
'/usr/lib/python2.5/test/__init__.pyc'
because there's apparently a module named "test" in the standard
distribution that gets found instead.

You were right. When I renamed my test.py file into test77.py it
worked perfectly well. Thank you.

Is there a way to know which test.py it was importing?

well, as my simple code showed, you can check test.__file__ or
test.__path__ if you're curious.  Python just searches through
your $PYTHONPATH which you can determine at runtime via sys.path

-tkc

Thank you Tim, everything is clear now.

Vicente Soler