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Python - Magic Methods

 ·   ·  β˜• 4 min read

A complete example

"""
magicmethods.py
Want to try out the examples? Don't want to type them up yourself? Never worry,
magicmethods.py is a convenient Python module with all the class definitions
for the examples in the magic methods guide in it.
"""

# FileObject class, demonstrating __init__ and __del__
from os.path import join

class FileObject:
    """Wrapper for file objects to make sure the file gets closed on deletion."""
    
    def __init__(self, filepath="~", filename="sample.txt"):
        # open a file filename in filepath in read and write mode
        self.file = open(join(filepath, filename), "r+")
   
    def __del__(self):
        self.file.close()
        del self.file

# Word class, demonstrating __new__, comparisons
class Word(str):
    """Class for words, defining comparison based on word length."""
	
    def __new__(cls, word):
        # Note that we have to use __new__. This is because str is an immutable
        # type, so we have to initialize it early (at creation)
        if " " in word:
            print "Value contains spaces. Truncating to first space."
            word = word[:word.index(" ")] # Word is now all chars before first space
        return str.__new__(cls, word)
	
    def __gt__(self, other):
        return len(self) > len(other)
    def __lt__(self, other):
        return len(self) < len(other)
    def __ge__(self, other):
        return len(self) >= len(other)
    def __le__(self, other):
        return len(self) <= len(other)
 
# AccessCounter class, demonstrating __setattr__, __getattr__, and __delattr__ 
class AccessCounter:
    """A class that contains a value and implements an access counter.
    The counter increments each time the value is changed."""
    
    def __init__(self, val):
        self.__dict__["counter"] = 0
        self.__dict__["value"] = val
    
    def __setattr__(self, name, value):
        if name == "value":
            self.__dict__["counter"] += 1
            self.__dict__["value"] = value
    
    def __delattr__(self, name):
        if name == "value":
            self.__dict__["counter"] += 1
            del self.__dict__["value"]

# FunctionalList class, demonstrating __len__, __getitem__, __setitem__, __delitem__,
# __iter__, and __reversed__
class FunctionalList:
    """A class wrapping a list with some extra functional magic, like head,
    tail, init, last, drop, and take."""
    
    def __init__(self, values=None):
        if values is None:
            self.values = []
        else:
            self.values = values
    
    def __len__(self):
        return len(self.values)
    
    def __getitem__(self, key):
        # if key is of invalid type or value, the list values will raise the error
        return self.values[key]
    
    def __setitem__(self, key, value):
        self.values[key] = value
    
    def __delitem__(self, key):
        del self.values[key]

    def __iter__(self):
        return iter(self.values)
    
    def __reversed__(self):
        return reversed(self.values)
    
    def append(self, value):
        self.values.append(value)
    def head(self):
        # get the first element
        return self.values[0]
    def tail(self):
        # get all elements after the first
        return self.values[1:]
    def init(self):
        # get elements up to the last
        return self.values[:-1]
    def last(self):
        # get last element
        return self.values[-1]
    def drop(self, n):
        # get all elements except first n
        return self.values[n:]
    def take(self, n):
        # get first n elements
        return self.values[:n]

# Entity class demonstrating __call__
class Entity:
    """Class to represent an entity. Callable to update the entity"s position."""

    def __init__(self, size, x, y):
        self.x, self.y = x, y
        self.size = size

    def __call__(self, x, y):
        """Change the position of the entity."""
        self.x, self.y = x, y
    
    # snip...

# Wrapper class to close an object in a with statement
class Closer:
    """A context manager to automatically close an object with a close method
    in a with statement."""
    
    def __init__(self, obj):
        self.obj = obj
    
    def __enter__(self):
        return self.obj # bound to target
    
    def __exit__(self, exception_type, exception_val, trace):
        try:
            self.obj.close()
        except AttributeError: # obj isn"t closable
            print "Not closable."
            return True # exception handled successfully
           
# Classes to represent descriptors and their use
class Meter(object):
    """Descriptor for a meter."""
    
    def __init__(self, value=0.0):
        self.value = float(value)
    def __get__(self, instance, owner):
        return self.value
    def __set__(self, instance, value):
        self.value = float(value)

class Foot(object):
    """Descriptor for a foot."""
    
    def __get__(self, instance, owner):
        return instance.meter * 3.2808
    def __set__(self, instance, value):
        instance.meter = float(value) / 3.2808

class Distance(object):
    """Class to represent distance holding two descriptors for feet and
    meters."""
    meter = Meter()
    foot = Foot()
    
# Class to demo fine-tuning pickling
import time

class Slate:
    """Class to store a string and a changelog, and forget its value when
    pickled."""
    
    def __init__(self, value):
        self.value = value
        self.last_change = time.asctime()
        self.history = {}
    
    def change(self, new_value):
        # Change the value. Commit last value to history
        self.history[self.last_change] = self.value
        self.value = new_value
        self.last_change = time.asctime()
        
    def print_changes(self):
        print "Changelog for Slate object:"
        for k, v in self.history.items():
            print "%s\t %s" % (k, v)
    
    def __getstate__(self):
        # Deliberately do not return self.value or self.last_change.
        # We want to have a "blank slate" when we unpickle.
        return self.history
        
    def __setstate__(self, state):
        # Make self.history = state and last_change and value undefined
        self.history = state
        self.value, self.last_change = None, None
        
    


Ohidur Rahman Bappy
WRITTEN BY
Ohidur Rahman Bappy
πŸ“šLearner 🐍 Developer