implementing module functions==object methods in extension

[Harald Kirsch]

In the python-2.0 distribution I find that string.join() seems to be
implemented as

def string.join(words, sep = ' '):
  return sep.join(words)

I wonder if this is mostly historical or if it is still the preferred
way to allow object methods to be called as module functions. I would
rather have expected a pure C solution. Consider for example an object
method with one integer parameter:

static PyObject*
someObjectMethod(PyObject* self, PyObject *args)
{
  int i;

  if( !self ) {
    /* we were in fact called as a module function, try to retrieve
       a matching object from args */
    if( !PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "o!i", SomeObjectType, &self, &i) ) 
      return NULL;
  } else {
    /* we were obviously called as an object method so args should
       only have the int value. */
    if( !PyArg_ParseTuple(args, "i", &i) ) 
      return NULL;
  }
}

I'll try this in a minute to find out how it works, but assuming that
it will, I wonder why e.g. string.join() is not implemented that way?

  Harald Kirsch

-- 
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Harald Kirsch   | kirschh at lionbioscience.com | "How old is the epsilon?"
LION bioscience | +49 6221 4038 172          |        -- Paul Erdös
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