Question about a class member

[Robert]

Hi,

I am using a download package. When I read its code, see below please, I 
don't know what 'sample' is:


----------
model = hmm.GaussianHMM(n_components=4, covariance_type="full")

model.startprob_ = startprob
model.transmat_ = transmat
model.means_ = means
model.covars_ = covars

# Generate samples
X, Z = model.sample(50)
-------------

When I read its (class) definition, I find the following part (which may not
be sure 100% the above origination yet, but it is the only line being 
'sample').
//////////////
        self.gmms_ = []
        for x in range(self.n_components):
            if covariance_type is None:
                gmm = GMM(n_mix)
            else:
                gmm = GMM(n_mix, covariance_type=covariance_type)
            self.gmms_.append(gmm)

    def _init(self, X, lengths=None):
        super(GMMHMM, self)._init(X, lengths=lengths)

        for g in self.gmms_:
            g.set_params(init_params=self.init_params, n_iter=0)
            g.fit(X)

    def _compute_log_likelihood(self, X):
        return np.array([g.score(X) for g in self.gmms_]).T

    def _generate_sample_from_state(self, state, random_state=None):
        return self.gmms_[state].sample(1, random_state=random_state).flatten()
////////////

The above code looks like self.gmms is a list, which has an attribute
'sample'. But when I play with a list, there is no 'sample' attribute.

..........
a=[1, 32.0, 4]

a
Out[68]: [1, 32.0, 4]

type(a)
Out[69]: list

a[0].sample(1,5)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AttributeError                            Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-70-ce2e8159b438> in <module>()
----> 1 a[0].sample(1,5)

AttributeError: 'int' object has no attribute 'sample' 

a[1].sample(1,5)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
AttributeError                            Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-71-0364cee47aa3> in <module>()
----> 1 a[1].sample(1,5)

AttributeError: 'float' object has no attribute 'sample'
////////////

What is 'sample' do you think?

Thanks,