__getattr__ Confusion

[Saul Spatz]

Thanks, Peter.  I realize this is getting sort of academic now, as I know how to do exactly what I want, but I'm still confused.  Is __getattr__ a special case then, even for classic classes?

class Adder():             # python 2.7, classic class
  def __init__(self, x):
    self.x = x
    self.__add__= lambda other: Adder(self.x+other.x)
    self.__getattr__ = lambda name: self.test(name)

  def __str__(self):
    return str(self.x)

  def test(self, name):
    print("Hello from test")
    raise AttributeError

x = Adder(3)
y = Adder(4)
print(x+y)
x.junk()

7
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\Users\Saul\Documents\PythonProjects\test.py", line 18
AttributeError: Adder instance has no attribute 'junk'

Why does this work for __add__ and not for __getattr__?

Of course, they both work if I write instead

def __add__self, other):
   return Adder(self.x+other.x)

def __getattr__(self, name):
   print(name)
   raise AttributeError

like a sensible person.

Saul  

On Monday, February 4, 2013 8:15:47 AM UTC-6, Peter Otten wrote:
> Saul Spatz wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> > Now I have another question.  If dunder methods are looked up only in the
> 
> > class, not the instance, why did defining __nonzero__ the way I did work? 
> 
> > Shouldn't I have had to define it with a def?  Is __nonzero__ a special
> 
> > case?
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately the situation is a bit more complex. Classic classes (like 
> 
> Tkinter.Frame) behave differently from newstyle classes (subclasses of 
> 
> object):
> 
> 
> 
> >>> def nz():
> 
> ...     print "nonzero"
> 
> ...     return 0
> 
> ... 
> 
> >>> class Classic: pass
> 
> ... 
> 
> >>> c = Classic()
> 
> >>> c.__nonzero__ = nz
> 
> >>> not c
> 
> nonzero
> 
> True
> 
> >>> class New(object): pass
> 
> ... 
> 
> >>> n = New()
> 
> >>> n.__nonzero__ = nz
> 
> >>> not n
> 
> False
> 
> 
> 
> So Steven is wrong here.
> 
> 
> 
> > Shouldn't I have had to define it with a def?
> 
> 
> 
> If you mean as opposed to a lambda, there is no difference between
> 
> 
> 
> f = lambda ...
> 
> 
> 
> and
> 
> 
> 
> def f(...): ...
> 
> 
> 
> other than that the last one gives you a nice name in a traceback.