str and __setitem__

[Tor Erik Soenvisen]

Hi,

What do I need to do to make the code below work as expected:

class str2(str):

def __setitem__(self, i, y):
assert type(y) is str
assert type(i) is int
assert i < len(self)

self = self[:i] + y + self[1+i:]
a = str2('123')
a[1] = '1'
print a
123
The print statement should return 113

Regards tores

[Peter Otten]

Tor Erik Soenvisen wrote:

What do I need to do to make the code below work as expected:

class str2(str):

********def __setitem__(self, i, y):
****************assert type(y) is str
****************assert type(i) is int
****************assert i < len(self)

****************self = self[:i] + y + self[1+i:]

'self' is a local variable; assigning to it rebinds it but has no effect
outside of the __setitem__() method.

a = str2('123')
a[1] = '1'
print a
123

The print statement should return 113

You have to start from scratch as a strings are "immutable" (once created,
their value cannot be changed).

>>class mutable_str(object):

.... def __init__(self, value):
.... self._value = value
.... def __setitem__(self, index, value):
.... self._value = self._value[:index] + value +
self._value[index+1:]
.... def __str__(self):
.... return self._value
....

>>a = mutable_str("123")
a[1] = "x"
print a

1x3

Peter

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Thu, 25 Jan 2007 10:16:31 +0000, Tor Erik Soenvisen wrote:

Hi,

What do I need to do to make the code below work as expected:

Use another language *wink*

Python strings are immutable, you can't change them in place.

class str2(str):

def __setitem__(self, i, y):
assert type(y) is str
assert type(i) is int
assert i < len(self)
self = self[:i] + y + self[1+i:]

This line rebinds a NEW string to the name "self" -- it doesn't change the
contents of the original string. Because the name self is local to the
method, it doesn't change references to the original string.

Are you sure you need mutable strings?

Here are a few different ways of getting something like a mutable string:

* use the MutableString class from the UserString module;

* use the mmap module;

* use lists of characters instead of strings;
--
Steven

[bearophileHUGS]

Peter Otten:

>class mutable_str(object):... def __init__(self, value):

... self._value = value
... def __setitem__(self, index, value):
... self._value = self._value[:index] + value +
self._value[index+1:]
... def __str__(self):
... return self._value
...>>a = mutable_str("123")

>a[1] = "x"
print a

For this purpose an array may be better, if you have to change it often
and print is only once in a while:

from array import array
a = array("c", "123")
a[1] = "x"
print a

The OP can also use a class, if some other methods are needed:

from array import array

class mutable_str(object):
def __init__(self, value):
self._value = array("c", value)
def __setitem__(self, index, value):
self._value[index] = value
def __str__(self):
return self._value.tostring() # this requires time

a = mutable_str("123")
a[1] = "x"
print a

Probably array.array can be subclassed too...

bye,
bearophile