How modules work in Python

[sohcahtoa82 at gmail.com]

On Tuesday, November 18, 2014 11:44:53 PM UTC-8, Larry Hudson wrote:
> On 11/18/2014 12:59 PM, sohcah... at gmail.com wrote:
> > On Tuesday, November 18, 2014 12:14:15 AM UTC-8, Larry Hudson wrote:
> >> First, I'll repeat everybody else:  DON'T TOP POST!!!
> >>
> >> On 11/16/2014 04:41 PM, Abdul Abdul wrote:
> >>> Dave,
> >>>
> >>> Thanks for your nice explanation. For your answer on one of my questions:
> >>>
> >>> *Modules don't have methods. open is an ordinary function in the module.*
> >>>
> >>> Isn't "method" and "function" used interchangeably? In other words, aren't they the same thing?
> >>> Or, Python has some naming conventions here?
> >>>
> >>
> >> You've already received answers to this, but a short example might clarify the difference:
> >>
> >> #-------  Code  --------
> >> #   Define a function
> >> def func1():
> >>       print('This is function func1()')
> >>
> >> #   Define a class with a method
> >> class Examp:
> >>       def func2(self):
> >>           print('This is method func2()')
> >>
> >> #   Try them out
> >> obj = Examp()      #  Create an object (an instance of class Examp)
> >> func1()            #  Call the function
> >> obj.func2()        #  Call the method through the object
> >> func2()            #  Try to call the method directly -- Error!
> >> #-------  /Code  --------
> >>
> >> This code results in the following:
> >>
> >> This is function func1()
> >> This is method func2()
> >> Traceback (most recent call last):
> >>     File "fun-meth.py", line 14, in <module>
> >>       func2()
> >> NameError: name 'func2' is not defined
> >>
> >>        -=- Larry -=-
> >
> > You COULD have something like this though:
> >
> > # --- myModule.py ---
> > def myFunc():
> >      print 'myFunc'
> >
> >
> > # --- main.py ---
> > import myModule
> > myModule.myFunc()
> >
> >
> > In this case, myFunc LOOKS like a method when it is called from main.py, but it is still a function.
> >
> 
> My purpose was to give a _simple_ example of the difference in the two terms:  that a function 
> is called directly and a method is called through an object.
> 
> Your example may _look_ the same (it uses the same dot syntax), but here it is to resolve a 
> namespace -- a module is not an object.  So yes, this is still a function and not a method.  But 
> we're getting rather pedantic here.
> 
>       -=- Larry -=-

I only started reading this list about a month ago, and from what I've seen, being pedantic is pretty much par for the course.