How does name resolution work when classes are derived across modules? - python

Classes B and C both derive from base class A, and neither override A's method test(). B is defined in the same module as A; C is defined in a separate module. How is it that calling B.test() prints "hello", but calling C.test() fails? Shouldn't either invocation end up executing A.test() and therefore be able to resolve the symbol "message" in mod1's namespace?
I'd also gratefully receive hints on where this behaviour is documented as I've been unable to turn up anything. How are names resolved when C.test() is called, and can "message" be injected into one of the namespaces somehow?
FWIW, the reason I haven't used an instance variable (e.g. set A.message = "hello") is because I'm wanting to access a "global" singleton object and don't want to have an explicit referent to it in every other object.
mod1.py:
import mod2
class A(object):
def test(self):
print message
class B(A):
pass
if __name__ == "__main__":
message = "hello"
A().test()
B().test()
mod2.C().test()
mod2.py:
import mod1
class C(mod1.A):
pass
output is:
$ python mod1.py
hello
hello
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "mod1.py", line 14, in <module>
mod2.C().test()
File "mod1.py", line 5, in test
print message
NameError: global name 'message' is not defined
Many thanks!

EOL is correct, moving the "main" part of the program into a new file mod3.py does indeed make things work.
http://bytebaker.com/2008/07/30/python-namespaces/ further clarifies the issue.
In my original question, it turns out that the variable message ist stored in the __main__ module namespace because mod1.py is being run as a script. mod2 imports mod1, but it gets a separate mod1 namespace, where the variable message does not exist. The following code snippet demonstrates more clearly as it writes message into mod1's namespace (not that I'd recommend this be done in real life), causing the expected behaviour.
import sys
class A(object):
def test(self):
print message
class B(A):
pass
if __name__ == "__main__":
import mod2
message = "hello"
sys.modules["mod1"].message = message
A().test()
B().test()
mod2.C().test()
I think the best real-world fix is to move the "main" part of the program into a separate module, as EOL implies, or do:
class A(object):
def test(self):
print message
class B(A):
pass
def main():
global message
message = "hello"
A().test()
B().test()
# resolve circular import by importing in local scope
import mod2
mod2.C().test()
if __name__ == "__main__":
# break into mod1 namespace from __main__ namespace
import mod1
mod1.main()

Could you use a class attribute instead of a global? The following works
import mod2
class A(object):
message = "Hello" # Class attribute (not duplicated in instances)
def test(self):
print self.message # Class A attribute can be overridden by subclasses
class B(A):
pass
if __name__ == "__main__":
A().test()
B().test()
mod2.C().test()
Not using globals is cleaner: in the code above, message is explicitly attached to the class it is used in.
That said, I am also very curious as to why the global message is not found by mod2.C().test().
Things work as expected, though, if the cross-importing is removed (no main program in mod1.py, and no import mod2): importing mod1 and mod2 from mod3.py, doing mod1.message = "Hello" there and mod2.C().test() works. I am therefore wondering if the problem is not related to cross-importing…

Related

"from module import class" importing other classes from same module

Given the following files:
a.py
-----
class CommonClass(object):
def do_thing(self):
pass
b.py
-----
from a import CommonClass
class SubClassA(CommonClass):
def do_thing(self):
print("I am A")
class SubClassB(CommonClass):
def do_thing(self):
print("I am B")
c.py
-----
from a import CommonClass
from b import SubClassA
if __name__ == "__main__":
for member in CommonClass.__subclasses__():
member().do_thing()
I would expect only SubClassA is imported, and visible when looping through subclasses of CommonClass, but it seems SubClassB is imported as well.
I am running Python 3.8.5 and this is the output of python3 c.py:
$ python3 c.py
I am A
I am B
How can I only import the classes I want?
You did import only SubClassA to c.py. This can be tested by doing
x = SubClassB()
or
x = b.SubClassB()
Both will result in a NameError.
The thing is, that when you import a file, it is actually being ran, even when using from x import y!
This can be easily seen by adding a print("I'm from b.py") at the end of b.py and then running c.py.
This makes both SubClassA and SubClassB be subclasses of CommonClass, which you imported. So, while you don't have access to the SubClassB name, it is still a subclass of CommonClass and you can access it from there.
In general you don't have to import a module to be able to use its objects. Importing expands your namespace to include that module so you can create an object directly. You can still use this module's objects even without importing it if you acquired them in some other way (like importing a third module which returns objects from the second one).
Anyway right now, you are not really using even the imported SubClassA. If you want to "allow" certain classes to be considered only from an external source, you can create an allowed set of classes:
from a import CommonClass
from b import SubClassA
allowed_classes = {SubClassA}
if __name__ == "__main__":
for member in CommonClass.__subclasses__():
if member in allowed_classes:
member().do_thing()
Which only prints I am A
from a import CommonClass
from b import SubClassA
if __name__ == "__main__":
h = CommonClass.__subclasses__()[0]()
h.do_thing()
You can do this.

NameError when calling method from different module in Python

I have two modules in Python 3—main.py and gui.py—which are both in the same directory. My code is listed here:
main.py:
import gui
if __name__ == "__main__":
interface = gui.Gui()
interface.func1()
def foo():
interface.func2()
gui.py:
import main
class Gui:
def func1(self):
main.foo()
def func2(self):
pass
When calling main.foo() from gui.py, I get the following exception:
NameError: name 'interface' is not defined
If I move the foo() declaration to the top of the main.py file and then call it from main.py, I do not get this exception.
Why does this error occur when calling main.foo() from gui.py?
Note: This is my first question on StackOverflow, so I'm sorry if it is not well-written. Please tell me how I could improve it.

Parent class init is executing during inheritence

One basic question in OOP.
test.py file content:
class test(object):
def __init__(self):
print 'INIT of test class'
obj = test()
Then I opened another file.
I just inherited from the above test class:
from test import test
class test1(test):
def __init__(self):
pass
So when I run this second file, the __init__() from the parent class is executed (the INIT got printed).
I read that I can avoid it by using
if __name__ == '__main__':
# ...
I can overcome this, but my question is why the parent class's init is executing as I am just importing this class only in my second file. Why is the object creation code executed?
Importing a module executes all module-level statements, including obj=test().
To avoid this, make an instance only when run as the main program, not when imported:
class test(object):
def __init__(self):
print 'INIT of test class'
if __name__ == '__main__':
obj=test()
The problem is not the inheritance but the import. In your case you execute obj=test() when importing:
from test import test
When you import test, its name __name__ is test.
But when you run your program on the command line as main program with python test.py, its name is __main__. So, in the import case, you skip obj=test()if you use:
if __name__ == '__main__':
obj=test()

How to assert an attribute within another method

EDIT* It seems I was misleading people with some unintentional words. I had thought all functions when instanaited to methods contained attributes. But I really just wanted to test the variable in the function from class2.
I'm very new to python & unittesting, so please forgive me if what I am asking is completely delusional.
I wanted to know if it is "possible to assert a variable within another function from the outter scope". I keep getting the following error:
Cannot modify Class2.py
Class1.py
from Class2.py import Class2
Class1(unittest.TestCase)
def test_class2_fun(self):
driver = Class2()
driver.class2_fun
assertTrue(driver.class2_fun.class2_variable) "???
Class2.py
Class2(self)
def class2_fun(self):
class2_variable = TRUE
Not sure how to go about it with the proper syntax. Is it possible through either a decorator before I assign driver with Class2() or through a patch somehow?
There are a few typos in your class and function definitions but you want to use the hasattr function will tell you if an object has a specific attribute.
If what you want to do is check for the existence of local variable outside the function __init__ of class Class2, I don't think that is possible without modifying the contents of the file Class2.py.
Working Example
In Class1.py
import unittest
from Class2 import Class2
class Class1(unittest.TestCase):
def test_class2_at_exists(self):
driver = Class2()
self.assertTrue( hasattr( driver, 'class2_attribute' ) )
def test_class2_at_value(self):
driver = Class2()
self.assertTrue( driver.class2_attribute == 'attribute value' )
if __name__ == '__main__':
unittest.main()
In Class2.py
class Class2(object):
def __init__(self):
self.class2_attribute = 'attribute value'
local_variable = True
At an ipython prompt,
>>> run Class1.py
..
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 2 tests in 0.001s
OK
Your assert should instead be
assertTrue(driver.class2_attribute)

Mocking Functions Using Python Mock

I am trying to Mock a function (that returns some external content) using the python mock module.
I'm having some trouble mocking functions that are imported into a module.
For example, in util.py I have
def get_content():
return "stuff"
I want to mock util.get_content so that it returns something else.
I am trying this:
util.get_content=Mock(return_value="mocked stuff")
If get_content gets invoked inside another module, it never actually seems to return the mocked object. Am I missing something in terms of how to use Mock?
Note that if I invoke the following, things work correctly:
>>> util.get_content=Mock(return_value="mocked stuff")
>>> util.get_content()
"mocked stuff"
However, if get_content is called from inside another module, it invokes the original function instead of the mocked version:
>>> from mymodule import MyObj
>>> util.get_content=Mock(return_value="mocked stuff")
>>> m=MyObj()
>>> m.func()
"stuff"
Contents of mymodule.py
from util import get_content
class MyObj:
def func():
get_content()
So I guess my question is - how do I get invoke the Mocked version of a function from inside a module that I call?
It appears that the from module import function may be to blame here, in that it doesn't point to the Mocked function.
The general case would be to use patch from mock. Consider the following:
utils.py
def get_content():
return 'stuff'
mymodule.py
from util import get_content
class MyClass(object):
def func(self):
return get_content()
test.py
import unittest
from mock import patch
from mymodule import MyClass
class Test(unittest.TestCase):
#patch('mymodule.get_content')
def test_func(self, get_content_mock):
get_content_mock.return_value = 'mocked stuff'
my_class = MyClass()
self.assertEqual(my_class.func(), 'mocked stuff')
self.assertEqual(get_content_mock.call_count, 1)
get_content_mock.assert_called_once()
Note how get_content is mocked, it is not util.get_content, rather mymodule.get_content since we are using it in mymodule.
Above has been tested with mock v2.0.0, nosetests v1.3.7 and python v2.7.9.
I think I have a workaround, though it's still not quite clear on how to solve the general case
In mymodule, if I replace
from util import get_content
class MyObj:
def func():
get_content()
with
import util
class MyObj:
def func():
util.get_content()
The Mock seems to get invoked. It looks like the namespaces need to match (which makes sense). However, the weird thing is that I would expect
import mymodule
mymodule.get_content = mock.Mock(return_value="mocked stuff")
to do the trick in the original case where I am using the from/import syntax (which now pulls in get_content into mymodule). But this still refers to the unmocked get_content.
Turns out the namespace matters - just need to keep that in mind when writing your code.
You have to patch the function where it is being used. In your case that would be in the mymodule module.
import mymodule
>>> mymodule.get_content = Mock(return_value="mocked stuff")
>>> m = mymodule.MyObj()
>>> m.func()
"mocked stuff"
There is a reference in the docs here: http://docs.python.org/dev/library/unittest.mock.html#where-to-patch
Let's assume you're creating your mock inside module foobar:
import util, mock
util.get_content = mock.Mock(return_value="mocked stuff")
If you import mymodule and call util.get_content without first importing foobar, your mock will not be installed:
import util
def func()
print util.get_content()
func()
"stuff"
Instead:
import util
import foobar # substitutes the mock
def func():
print util.get_content()
func()
"mocked stuff"
Note that foobar can be imported from anywhere (module A imports B which imports foobar) as long as foobar is evaluated before util.get_content is called.
While it doesn't provide an answer to your question directly, another possible alternative is to transform your function to a static method using the #staticmethod.
So you could transform your module utils into a class using something like:
class util(object):
#staticmethod
def get_content():
return "stuff"
Then mock patches it correctly.

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