Chapter 4. The Power Of Introspection
Description: Python from novice to pro
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## 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 doc strings.

        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 `doc string` 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 `doc string` 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 `doc string`s.

### 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 `doc string`s 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.