A interesting difference between classic and new style objects

[Alex Martelli]

"Oren Tirosh" <oren-py-l at hishome.net> wrote in message
news:mailman.1010392449.17847.python-list at python.org...
    ...
> With a new style objects built-in functions such as repr, iter etc. see
the
> original method with which the object was born even after it is overridden
> by assignment.
>
> Is this a bug or a feature?

It would, on the face of it, appear to contradict PEP 252:

http://python.sourceforge.net/peps/pep-0252.html
sub "Specification of the class-based introspection API"
sub "5. Precedence rules":

(excerpt):
"""
In other words, for data attributes (those with a __set__
method), the static definition overrides the dynamic definition,
but for other attributes, dynamic overrides static.
"""


However, PEP 252 also specifies:
"""
    The introspection API is a read-only API.  We don't define the
    effect of assignment to any of the special attributes (__dict__,
    __class__ and __bases__), nor the effect of assignment to the
    items of a __dict__.  Generally, such assignments should be
    considered off-limits.  A future PEP may define some semantics for
    some such assignments.
"""

As here we are indeed dealing with "assignment to [an item] of
a __dict__", we may be in the grey zone to "be considered
off-limits".  Some clarification would surely be welcome.


Alex