Python 3.3.0 (v3.3.0:bd8afb90ebf2, Sep 29 2012, 10:57:17) [MSC v.1600 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32

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>>> from enum import Enum, _

>>>

>>> class Color(Enum):

...     RED

...     GREEN = _(None, 'green')

...     BLUE = _(None, 'blue', hex='0000FF')

...     def __init__(self):

...         print('__init__', repr(self), self.args, self.kwargs)

...     def dump(self):

...         print(self, self.args, self.kwargs)

...

__init__ <EnumValue 'Color.RED': 0> () {}

__init__ <EnumValue 'Color.GREEN': 1> ('green',) {}

__init__ <EnumValue 'Color.BLUE': 2> ('blue',) {'hex': '0000FF'}

>>> print(repr(Color))

<enum __main__.Color {<EnumValue 'RED': 0>, <EnumValue 'GREEN': 1>, <EnumValue 'BLUE': 2>}>

>>>

>>> for e in Color:

...     e.dump()

...     Color(e).dump()

...

Color.RED () {}

Color.RED () {}

Color.GREEN ('green',) {}

Color.GREEN ('green',) {}

Color.BLUE ('blue',) {'hex': '0000FF'}

When you request an attribute on the EnumValue that doesn't exist, it gets it from the owning Enum class. If the attribute is an instance method (or static method - they have the same type) then it gets turned into an instance method of the EnumValue.

Also, when the EnumValue becomes owned by Enum, Enum.__init__ is called as an EnumValue instance method (with no parameters).

This actually makes a kind of perverse sense. Conceptually the actual EnumValues are the instances of the Enum (and in fact, I've made them pretend to actually be so). I think it also entirely does away with the need for subclasses of EnumValue and EnumMeta - you can do everything by specifying attributes and behaviour in the Enum instance methods.

I've pushed this to https://bitbucket.org/magao/enum - have a play and see how evil you think this is.

Tim Delaney