Questions about subclassing an int

[Steven W. Orr]

class S(int):
def __init__(self, value):
self.value = value
def addStr(self, str):
self.doc = str

s = S(44)
s.addStr('Hello')

print 's = ', s
print 's.doc = ', s.doc

class T(int):
def __init__(self, value, str):
self.value = value
self.doc = str

t = T(44, 'Goodbye')

print 't = ', t
print 't.doc = ', t.doc

It works ok with S but it fails when I try to instantiate T with a syntax
error. Why?

Also, I don't understand why S works. If I change the name of value and
use something else, the print of s still works by printing the integer
value out. How does it know what value to use? Also, in S.__init__, should
I be calling super(S, self).__init__(value) or is there a difference?

And just for fun:

class R(int):
def __init__(self, value, doc):
super(R, self).__init__(value)
self.doc = doc

r = R(66,'GGG')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
TypeError: an integer is required

Now it's no longer a syntax error but I don't see why it's different?

--
Time flies like the wind. Fruit flies like a banana. Stranger things have .0.
happened but none stranger than this. Does your driver's license say Organ ..0
Donor?Black holes are where God divided by zero. Listen to me! We are all- 000
individuals! What if this weren't a hypothetical question?
steveo at syslang.net

 

[Arnaud Delobelle]

class S(int):
     def __init__(self, value):
        self.value = value
     def addStr(self, str):
        self.doc = str

s = S(44)
s.addStr('Hello')

print 's = ', s
print 's.doc = ', s.doc

class T(int):
     def __init__(self, value, str):
        self.value = value
        self.doc = str

t = T(44, 'Goodbye')

print 't = ', t
print 't.doc = ', t.doc

It works ok with S but it fails when I try to instantiate T with a syntax
error. Why?

Also, I don't understand why S works. If I change the name of value and
use something else, the print of s still works by printing the integer
value out. How does it know what value to use? Also, in S.__init__, should
I be calling super(S, self).__init__(value) or is there a difference?

I suggest you read http://www.python.org/download/releases/2.2.3/descrintro/

Briefly, S(44) calls first S.__new__(S, 44) which does not exist, so
falls back to int.__new__(S, 44) which creates the new object s which
is 44 as an integer. Then *only*, s.__init__(44) is called and your
code is executed. Try changing self.value=value to self.value='SPAM',
you will see that 'print s' still returns 44.

As for T(44, 'Goodbye'), the same happens. First T.__new__ does not
exist, so int.__new__(T, 44, 'Goodbye') is executed and this is where
the error comes from (shouldn't it be a TypeError?) as this means
"create the integer whose representation in base 'Goodbye' is 44".

As for calling int.__init__, there is no point: integers don't have an
__init__() since they are immutable.

And just for fun:

class R(int):
     def __init__(self, value, doc):
         super(R, self).__init__(value)
         self.doc = doc

r = R(66,'GGG')
Traceback (most recent call last):
   File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
TypeError: an integer is required

Now it's no longer a syntax error but I don't see why it's different?

Same as above, though I don't understand why you get a SyntaxError for
T and a TypeError for R. AFAICT both shoult give a TypeError.

 

[Steven D'Aprano]

Same as above, though I don't understand why you get a SyntaxError for T
and a TypeError for R. AFAICT both shoult give a TypeError.

Probably because it was never a SyntaxError in the first place. If you
execute the code given for T, it gives a TypeError, just as you would
expect.

Possibly the Original Poster had mistyped something at some point and got
a SyntaxError, or more likely he's just using "syntax error" to mean
"some exception which I haven't actually looked at".