visibility between modules

[max(01)*]

hi.

if i have a single program file, different class instances can share
information in (at least) two fashions:

1. using instance variables:

class AClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = 42
self.att_2 = "Hello!"

class AnotherClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = anInstanceOfAClass.att_1

anInstanceOfAClass = AClass()
anInstanceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass()
print anInstanceOfAnotherClass.att_1 ### This should print out 42

2. using globals:

class AClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = 42
self.att_2 = "Hello!"

class AnotherClass:
pass

aGlobalString = "No way."
anInstanceOfAClass = AClass()
anInstanceOfAClass.att2 = aGlobalString
anInstanceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass()
anInstanceOfAnotherClass.att_1 = aGlobalString
print anInstanceOfAClass.att2 ### This should output "No way."
print anInstanceOfAnotherClass.att_1 ### And this too

----

i admit i prefer the fisrt way to do it. i have tried to make it work
even if the "main program" and each class definition reside in different
files, but i could not make it work:

[email protected]:/tmp$ cat AClass.py
class AClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = 42
self.att_2 = "Hello!"
[email protected]:/tmp$ cat AnotherClass.py
class AnotherClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = anInstanceOfAClass.att_1
[email protected]:/tmp$ cat Main.py
from AClass import *
from AnotherClass import *
anInstanceOfAClass = AClass()
anInstanceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass()
print anInstanceOfAnotherClass.att_1 ### This should print out 42
[email protected]:/tmp$ python Main.py
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "Main.py", line 4, in ?
anInstanceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass()
File "/tmp/AnotherClass.py", line 3, in __init__
self.att_1 = anInstanceOfAClass.att_1
NameError: global name 'anInstanceOfAClass' is not defined
[email protected]:/tmp$

 

[Mike Meyer]

hi.

if i have a single program file, different class instances can share
information in (at least) two fashions:

1. using instance variables:

class AClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = 42
self.att_2 = "Hello!"

class AnotherClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = anInstanceOfAClass.att_1

anInstanceOfAClass = AClass()
anInstanceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass()
print anInstanceOfAnotherClass.att_1 ### This should print out 42

2. using globals:

class AClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = 42
self.att_2 = "Hello!"

class AnotherClass:
pass

aGlobalString = "No way."
anInstanceOfAClass = AClass()
anInstanceOfAClass.att2 = aGlobalString
anInstanceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass()
anInstanceOfAnotherClass.att_1 = aGlobalString
print anInstanceOfAClass.att2 ### This should output "No way."
print anInstanceOfAnotherClass.att_1 ### And this too

Both these methods actually use globals. In ther first case, the
global is "anInstanceOfAClass", that is bound to self.att_1 in the
__init__ method of AnotherClass.

The solution is to pass the instance in as a parameter:

class AClass:
def __init__(self):
self.att_1 = 42
self.att_2 = "Hello!"

class AnotherClass:
def __init__(self, instance):
sefl.att_1 = instance

anInstanceOfAClass = AClass()
anInstanceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass(anInstanceOfAClass)

or maybe just:

anInstaceOfAnotherClass = AnotherClass(AClass())


<mike