a question from a newcomer to this language

[Shankar Iyer (siyer@Princeton.EDU)]

Thank you for your help.  I will post the problem in more detail if I find that I cannot avoid using exec.

Shankar  

----- Original Message -----
From: Michael Chermside <mcherm at mcherm.com>
Date: Friday, June 10, 2005 3:49 pm
Subject: RE: a question from a newcomer to this language

> Shankar writes:
> > Is there any way to convert a string into an instruction that 
> will be
> > executed?
> 
> Short answer:
>    Yes. The exec statement does what you want:
> 
> >>> x = 3
> >>> y = 4
> >>> exec "z = x * y"
> >>> print z
> 12
> 
> HOWEVER... the long answer is that you almost certainly do NOT want
> to use exec. Nearly everything that can be done with exec can be
> done without it and the solution that does NOT use exec is faster,
> more understandable, and has better security features. Often the
> solution that does not use exec will be simpleer and more elegant
> as well.
> 
> If you look at a problem and are nearly certain that it needs to be
> solved using exec, try posting it here... the people on this newsgroup
> are very good at solving challenges like that. But try it yourself
> first... you may learn something.
> 
> -- Michael Chermside
> 
> -- 
> http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
>