Python Patterns (was: Re: How can I make an existing object read-only?)

[Irmen de Jong]

Alex Martelli wrote:

> ...or implement it by changing the object's *class*...:
> 
> class RO_class(TrueClass):
>     def makeReadWrite(self): self.__class__ = TrueClass
>     def __setattr__(self, n, v=''): raise AttributeError, n
>     __delattr__ = __setattr__
> 
> def makeReadOnly(obj): obj.__class__ = RO_class
> 
> This is a very Pythonic approach to dealing with an object that exists
> in two 'states', each rather persistent and with different behavior; it
> is better performing and neater than using an obj._state and having 'if
> self._state: ... else: ...' statements strewn around.

I think this the kind of solution I think I was searching for!
And should have been able to think up myself.

I really should dust off my old GOF Desing Patterns book,
because your code made me remember the "state" pattern right away :-)

There should be a Python version of that book... I think that
the patterns in it are very easily expressed in Python, and
that Python allows for many other interesting patters ('Borg', to
name one).
This "state" pattern needs a clumsy internal state object in C++
but in Python we can just change the object's class directly,
which is a much more direct implementation of what the pattern
tries to achieve :-)

Thanks Alex

--Irmen de Jong.