Why instancemethod when I can add functions to classes outside class body?

[Rim]

Hi,

It appears to me the simplest way to add a function to a class outside
of the class declaration is as follows:

class a(object): .... pass
.... def f(self): .... print 'hi'
.... a.f = f
b=a()
b.f()

hi

It works even when the class and the function are in defined in
different modules,
and the call to the method in a third module.

So what problem is the new.instancemethod() trying to solve?

It is ok to point me to a PEP or the like.

Thanks,
- Rim

[Martin v. Löwis]

ri*******@yahoo.com (Rim) writes:

So what problem is the new.instancemethod() trying to solve?

It has no side effects on the class it is an instancemethod of.

Regards,
Martin

[Ben Finney]

On 25 Jul 2003 07:18:15 +0200, Martin v. Löwis wrote:

ri*******@yahoo.com (Rim) writes:

So what problem is the new.instancemethod() trying to solve?

It has no side effects on the class it is an instancemethod of.

So what side effects (i.e. what problem) is the new.instancemethod()
trying to solve?

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[Anders J. Munch]

"Ben Finney" <bi****************@and-benfinney-does-too.id.au> wrote:

On 25 Jul 2003 07:18:15 +0200, Martin v. Löwis wrote:

ri*******@yahoo.com (Rim) writes:

So what problem is the new.instancemethod() trying to solve?

It has no side effects on the class it is an instancemethod of.

So what side effects (i.e. what problem) is the new.instancemethod()
trying to solve?

Assigning to the class changes the behaviour of all instances of that
class. new.instancemethod can be used to add a method to an
individual instance.

class A: pass .... a1 = A(); a2 = A()
a1.f = new.instancemethod(lambda self: "hi", a1, A)
a2.f() Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
AttributeError: A instance has no attribute 'f' a1.f()

'hi'
- Anders

[Terry Reedy]

"Anders J. Munch" <an******@dancontrol.dk> wrote in message
news:3f***********************@dread11.news.tele.d k...

"Ben Finney" <bi****************@and-benfinney-does-too.id.au> wrote:

On 25 Jul 2003 07:18:15 +0200, Martin v. Löwis wrote:

ri*******@yahoo.com (Rim) writes:
> So what problem is the new.instancemethod() trying to solve?

It has no side effects on the class it is an instancemethod of.

So what side effects (i.e. what problem) is the new.instancemethod()

trying to solve?

Assigning to the class changes the behaviour of all instances of

that class.

Since changing the behavior of all instances is precisely the purpose
of making such an assignment (of function to class as method), that is
a feature, not a problem.
new.instancemethod can be used to add a method to an individual instance. class A: pass ... a1 = A(); a2 = A()
a1.f = new.instancemethod(lambda self: "hi", a1, A)
a2.f() Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
AttributeError: A instance has no attribute 'f' a1.f()

'hi'

So to answer the OP's question, the problem solved is that directly
assigning a function as an instance attribute binds the function as a
function, which means no *automatic* access to the instance and its
other attributes. If such access is needed, the instance must be
passed explicitly, as in
a1.f = lambda self: repr(self)
a1.f(a1)

Instancemethod adds the option of wrapping instance-specific functions
as bound methods getting the instance as an automatic first (self)
paramater, just like with class-wide methods. In the 'hi' example
above, since the self (psuedo)param is is ignored,
a1.f = lambda: 'hi'
would have the same net effect. However,
a1.f = new.instancemethod(lambda self: repr(self), a1, A)
requires the wrapping to avoid having to explicitly pass the instance.

Terry J. Reedy

[Martin v. Löwis]

"Terry Reedy" <tj*****@udel.edu> writes:

So to answer the OP's question, the problem solved is that directly
assigning a function as an instance attribute binds the function as a
function, which means no *automatic* access to the instance and its
other attributes.

To *really* answer the OP's question: API, in general, has no purpose
- it has a function. Whether that function is useful for something
depends on the application. So APIs don't try to solve problems
themselves - it is the developers who solve the problems using the API.

So one may ask "what is the problem that could be solved using
new.instancemethod". These questions often don't have good answers,
and I believe yours isn't much better than that the problem being
solved is

"Create an object of type instancemethod, given the function, the
instance, and the class."

Whether it is useful to create such objects depends on the
application.

Regards,
Martin

[Rim]

"Terry Reedy" <tj*****@udel.edu> wrote in message

>> class A: pass ...>> a1 = A(); a2 = A()
>> a1.f = new.instancemethod(lambda self: "hi", a1, A)
>> a2.f() Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
AttributeError: A instance has no attribute 'f'

>> a1.f()

'hi'

So to answer the OP's question, the problem solved is that directly
assigning a function as an instance attribute binds the function as a
function, which means no *automatic* access to the instance and its
other attributes. If such access is needed, the instance must be

I don't understand why you say "no automatic access". If you examine
the following, I have access to the attributes defined in the class,
without doing anything special:

class a: .... def __init__(self,name):
.... self.msg = "hi"
.... self.name = name
.... def f(self): .... print "hello"
.... print self.msg
.... print self.name
.... a.f = f
b=a("Joe")
b.f()

hello
hi
Joe

I obviously don't understand what you are trying to explain to me.
So to answer the OP's question, the problem solved is that directly
assigning a function as an instance attribute binds the function as a
function, which means no *automatic* access to the instance and its
other attributes. If such access is needed, the instance must be
passed explicitly, as in
a1.f = lambda self: repr(self)
a1.f(a1)

Instancemethod adds the option of wrapping instance-specific functions
as bound methods getting the instance as an automatic first (self)
paramater, just like with class-wide methods. In the 'hi' example

I think someone should write the official definitions for the following
so we all talk the same language:
- function
- method
- bound method/function
- unbound method/function
- class-wide method/function
- class-not-wide method/function
- etc.
requires the wrapping to avoid having to explicitly pass the instance.

I did not pass the instance and it worked in my example. I'd like to understand
what you are trying to show me.

Thanks,
-Rim

[Terry Reedy]

"Rim" <ri*******@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6f**************************@posting.google.c om...

"Terry Reedy" <tj*****@udel.edu> wrote in message

So to answer the OP's question, the problem solved is that directly

assigning a function as an instance attribute binds the function as a function, which means no *automatic* access to the instance and its other attributes.

I don't understand why you say "no automatic access".
Re-read the sentence again. The key point is 'assign ... as instance
attribute'.
If you examine
the following, I have access to the attributes defined in the class,
without doing anything special:
class a: ... def __init__(self,name):
... self.msg = "hi"
... self.name = name
... def f(self): ... print "hello"
... print self.msg
... print self.name
... a.f = f
a is the class, not an instance, making the new class attribute f a
method just as if it has been part of the class statement.
b=a("Joe")
b.f()

hello
hi
Joe

Try b.f = f instead and then call b.f() and b.f(b).

Now try b.f = new.instancemethod(f) and then call b.f() and b.f(b).

The results should answer your questions.

Terry J. Reedy
So to answer the OP's question, the problem solved is that directly
assigning a function as an instance attribute binds the function as afunction, which means no *automatic* access to the instance and its
other attributes. If such access is needed, the instance must be
passed explicitly, as in
a1.f = lambda self: repr(self)
a1.f(a1)

Instancemethod adds the option of wrapping instance-specific functionsas bound methods getting the instance as an automatic first (self)
paramater, just like with class-wide methods. In the 'hi' example