Binding a reference to a variable (solved?!?)

[Michael Hudson]

Patrick Miller <patmiller at llnl.gov> writes:

> Here's a scary way to do what Andrew was looking for.  It has
> the proper form and fewer (but still significant) restrictions.
> 
> >>> x = 7
> >>> set(x,99)
> >>> print x
> 
> I'll likely submit the following as a ASPN recipe, though
> it clearly needs a better description of motivation.  Just
> because you CAN do a thing doesn't mean you SHOULD
> do a thing.

Do you know about my bytecodehacks?  I think you might like
them... (though they only really work with 1.5.2).

[...]
> x = 3
> y = [1,2,3,4,]
> z = {"something": 0}
> 
> 
> def set(lhs,rhs,G=globals()):
>     address = id(lhs)

This is a pretty bad way of identifying the passed in value.  What you
"want" to do is look at
sys._getframe().f_back.{f_lasti,f_code.co_code}, poke around until you
find the

    LOAD_FAST 'x'

instruction or whatever, and go from there.

Of course, this is all absurdly hacky, but kind of fun.  It should
come with a kind of "explosive licence" -- if you use it in production
code, your shoes explode.

Cheers,
M.

-- 
  Programming languages should be designed not by piling feature on
  top of feature, but by removing the weaknesses and restrictions
  that make the additional features appear necessary.
               -- Revised(5) Report on the Algorithmic Language Scheme