Create a variable "on the fly"

[Paul D.Smith]

Can Python create a variable "on-the-fly". For example I would like
something like...

make_variable('OSCAR', 'the grouch');
print OSCAR;

....to output...

the grouch

Anything like this in Python?

And in case anyone is interested, I want to instantiate a set of variables
based on environment variables without using os.environ everywhere by having
a look instantiate Python variables of the appropriate type.

Thanks,
Paul DS.

--
Please remove the "x-" if replying to sender.

[Paolino]

Paul D.Smith wrote:

Can Python create a variable "on-the-fly". For example I would like
something like...

make_variable('OSCAR', 'the grouch');
print OSCAR;

...to output...

Python has only 'on the fly' variables and ';' is not used for one
expression in one line.
Probably the tutorial is good to be read also.

Paolino

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[Dan]

> make_variable('OSCAR', 'the grouch');

print OSCAR;

Try using "setattr". (It's in __builtins__; you don't have to import
anything.)

print setattr.__doc__

setattr(object, name, value)

Set a named attribute on an object; setattr(x, 'y', v) is equivalent to
``x.y = v''.

--
If builders built buildings the way programmers write programs,
the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.
- Original author unknown

[Paolino]

Paul D.Smith wrote:

Can Python create a variable "on-the-fly". For example I would like
something like...

make_variable('OSCAR', 'the grouch');
print OSCAR;

...to output...

Python has only 'on the fly' variables and ';' is not used for one
expression in one line.
Probably the tutorial is good to be read also.

Paolino

[Steve M]

PythonWin 2.3.5 (#62, Feb 9 2005, 16:17:08) [MSC v.1200 32 bit
(Intel)] on win32.
Portions Copyright 1994-2004 Mark Hammond (mh******@skippinet.com.au) -
see 'Help/About PythonWin' for further copyright information.

locals()['OSCAR'] = 'the grouch'
OSCAR 'the grouch'

[bruno modulix]

Paul D.Smith wrote:

Can Python create a variable "on-the-fly". For example I would like
something like...

make_variable('OSCAR', 'the grouch');
print OSCAR;

...to output...

the grouch

Anything like this in Python?
The bad news is that yes, there is something "like this" in Python.

The good news is that I won't tell you more about it, since it's a very
bad practice(tm). The good practice is to put your vars in a dict.
And in case anyone is interested, I want to instantiate a set of variables
based on environment variables without using os.environ everywhere
env = os.environ

Now you just have to look at env['MY_ENV_VAR'] !-)
by having
a look instantiate Python variables of the appropriate type.

What do you mean "of the appropriate type" ? You want to typecast (eg.
from string to numeric) ? Then you need to know what env var must be
casted to what type ? Then you don't need to create variables 'on the fly' ?

I must have missed something...
--
bruno desthuilliers
python -c "print '@'.join(['.'.join([w[::-1] for w in p.split('.')]) for
p in 'o****@xiludom.gro'.split('@')])"

[Willem Broekema]

Steve M:

locals()['OSCAR'] = 'the grouch'
OSCAR 'the grouch'

Use "globals", not "locals":

globals()['OSCAR'] = 'the grouch'

because <http://www.python.org/doc/current/lib/built-in-funcs.html>
states:

locals()
Update and return a dictionary representing the current local symbol
table. Warning: The contents of this dictionary should not be
modified; changes may not affect the values of local variables used
by the interpreter.

Function globals() is not subject to this restriction.
- Willem

[Do Re Mi chel La Si Do]

Hi !

Try :

OSCAR='the grouch'
print OSCAR
useless to thank me

Michel Claveau

[Paul D.Smith]

Bruno,

FYI, notes in-line...

Cheers,
Paul DS

a look instantiate Python variables of the appropriate type.
What do you mean "of the appropriate type" ? You want to typecast (eg.
from string to numeric) ? Then you need to know what env var must be
casted to what type ? Then you don't need to create variables 'on the fly'

?
I must have missed something...

Good point - my Python "nomenclature" is still in its infancy. The
background is that I've inherited some historical Python scripts that need
to be configured from a bash shell script (as these Python scripts are being
integrated into a bigger system driven by shell scripts and with a
pre-existing single "point-of-configuration") instead of the existing
Pything config script. The existing Python script configures these
parameters thus...

PARM1='Fred'
PARM2=12
....

So I could so the following...

PARM1=os.environ['PARM1']
PARM2=os.environ['PARM2']
....

The problem is that this config file is almost certainly not complete (as
the complete integration of all scripts has not been done) and I don't want
to spend my life tweaking not one config file (the shell script), but two
(the shell script and the Python script).

Now I'm helped because in fact the parameters have a common format e.g.

MY_PARM1...
MY_PARM2...

so I can define shell environment variables with the same names and then
look for any parameter defined in the shell and named "MY_..." and
instantiate the Python variable from that.

What I'm left with is the following...

1. A shell script which I maintain.
2. A simple Python config which searches for all shell environment variables
named "MY_..." and instantiates then as Python variables.
3. Historical scripts that run without me needing to spend time hunting down
all the config variables and replacing them with os.environ['MY_...'].

Agreed that long term this is not good practice, but short term it's a time
save.

[Sybren Stuvel]

Paul D.Smith enlightened us with:

The background is that I've inherited some historical Python scripts
that need to be configured from a bash shell script [...] instead of
the existing Pything config script. [...] The problem is that this
config file is almost certainly not complete [...] and I don't want
to spend my life tweaking not one config file (the shell script),
but two (the shell script and the Python script).
So basically you want environment variables to be able to alter Python
variables. This is not a smart move. It's the same as the
'register_globals' functionality in PHP. Read
http://us2.php.net/register_globals for more information.
2. A simple Python config which searches for all shell environment
variables named "MY_..." and instantiates then as Python variables.

Why don't you just copy all MY_... environment variables from
os.environ to the dict which holds your configuration? Or are you
storing your entire configuration in global variables? A dict would be
a much cleaner and more extendible solution.

Sybren
--
The problem with the world is stupidity. Not saying there should be a
capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the
safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?
Frank Zappa

[Steven Bethard]

Paul D.Smith wrote:

2. A simple Python config which searches for all shell environment variables
named "MY_..." and instantiates then as Python variables.

my_vars = dict((k, v)
for k, v in os.environ.iteritems()
if k.startswith('MY_'))
globals().update(my_vars)

If you ever refactor the code, I'd suggest writing a single
configuration file instead of setting environment variables, and reading
that configuration file in each script that needs it. Generally I've
found that relying on environment variables being set is hard to
maintain and a real pain when you have to move to a new system.

STeVe

[Scott David Daniels]

Paul D.Smith wrote:

... What I'm left with is the following...
1. A shell script which I maintain.
2. A simple Python config which searches for all shell environment variables
named "MY_..." and instantiates then as Python variables.
3. Historical scripts that run without me needing to spend time hunting down
all the config variables and replacing them with os.environ['MY_...'].

Suppose you have a module named 'MY', with MY.py as:

import os
_globals = globals()
for _name, _entry in os.environ.iteritems():
if _name.startswith('MY_'):
try:
_entry = int(_entry)
except ValueError:
try:
_entry = float(_entry)
except ValueError:
pass
_globals[_name[3 :]] = _entry

then, wherever your python scripts use MY_XYZ, you begin the script
with "import MY" and change every "MY_XYZ" to "MY.XYZ".
--Scott David Daniels
Sc***********@Acm.Org