Set a flag on the function or a global?

[Ron Adam]

On 06/15/2015 08:07 PM, Chris Angelico wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 16, 2015 at 9:57 AM, Steven D'Aprano
> <steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info>  wrote:
>> >I have two ideas for this, a module-level global, or a flag set on the
>> >function object itself. Remember that the usual way of using this will be
>> >"from module import edir", there are two obvious ways to set the global:
>> >
>> >import module
>> >module.dunders = False
>> >
>> ># -or-
>> >
>> >edir.__globals__['dunders'] = False
>> >
>> >
>> >Alternatively, I can use a flag set on the function object itself:
>> >
>> >edir.dunders = False
>> >
> For most situations, the last one is extremely surprising - attributes
> on functions aren't normally meant to be changed by outside callers,

Or inside callers either.  You can't be sure of the name and there is no self.


> it always feels wrong (they belong to the function itself). But since
> this is interactive, I'd advise going for the absolute simplest, which
> this would be. Go for the function attribute IMO.


Another way is to make it an object with a __call__ method.

The the attribute can be accessed from both outside and inside dependably.

Cheers,
    Ron