[Python-Dev] Issue10403 - using 'attributes' instead of members in documentation

[Michael Foord]

On 28/06/2011 14:20, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> Michael Foord wrote:
>
>> What do you mean by "instances can have methods as instance 
>> attributes"? Once you attach a bound method directly to an instance 
>> it becomes a slightly different beast I think. (On top of which that 
>> is pretty rare behaviour.)
>
> >>> class C:
> ...     def method(self, x):
> ...             return x+1
> ...
> >>> c = C()
> >>> c.method = types.MethodType(lambda self, x: x+101, c)
> >>> c.method(1)
> 102
>
> I don't know how rare it is, but it's a useful trick for customising 
> the behaviour of instances.
>
Right - that method is an instance attribute.

>
> As I see it, there are three dichotomies we sometimes need to make:
>
>
> (1) Instance attributes vs class (shared) attributes.
>
> Broadly speaking, whether the attribute is in instance.__dict__ or 
> type(instance).__dict__.
>
> (2) Computed vs non-computed attributes.
>
> Attributes which are computed by __getattr__ or via the descriptor 
> protocol (which includes properties) are all computed attributes; 
> everything else is non-computed.
Technically also via __getattribute__ when overridden.

>
> (3) Method attributes (methods) vs non-method/data attributes.
>
> Broadly speaking, methods are callable, non-method (data) attributes 
> are not.
>
>
> The three are orthogonal: e.g. a staticmethod is a method by virtue of 
> being callable, computed by virtue of being generated by a descriptor, 
> and a class attribute by virtue of existing in the type __dict__ 
> rather than the instance __dict__.
>
> Strictly speaking, (3) is not truly a dichotomy, since functions and 
> methods are first class-objects in Python. E.g. one may store a 
> function as an attribute with the intention of using it as data rather 
> than as a method. But that's a moderately obscure corner case, and in 
> my opinion it's not worth obscuring the practical distinction between 
> "methods are things you call, data are not" for the sake of it. Leave 
> the functions-as-data case for a footnote.
>
Yep, useful summary.

Michael


>
>


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