class methods ?

[Edward Welbourne]

Not in 1.3 (what I have available at work to test), and I doubt it in
1.5 also.  Basically, if a class has an attribute with a callable value,
the only way you can call it is by calling it as a method of an
instance, so it has to have a first argument for that purpose, even if
this is to be ignored.

You can, of course, cheat - using introspection.  In python 1.3, for
instance,

>>> class dummy:
... 	def __init__(self):
... 		try: count = dummy.invoked['__init__']
... 		except KeyError: count = 0
... 		dummy.invoked['__init__'] = 1 + count
... 	def printer(): print dummy.invoked
...	invoked = {}
... 
>>> dummy.printer()
TypeError: unbound method must be called with class instance 1st argument
>>> dummy.printer.im_func()
{}
>>> dummy()
<dummy instance at aeed8>
>>> dummy.printer.im_func()
{'__init__': 1}

though I think the introspection name (.im_func) is different in 1.5
(and you could use dummy.invoked.get('__init__', 0) in 1.5 to obtain
count, instead of needing the try...except).

On the other hand, I have a plan which will make it easy to have class
methods (among other tasty goodies) in python 2, if I can persuade the
Great, the Good and, most of all, the Guido in a fortnight's time, but I
have to finish turning it into something somewhat more intelligible ...
sadly, writing for humans isn't my forte.  More news by the end of
Sunday, I promise (I hate deadlines, but they're good for productivity).

	Eddy.