[Python-bugs-list] [ python-Feature Requests-481962 ] Make modules callable

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Feature Requests item #481962, was opened at 2001-11-14 23:11
Message generated for change (Comment added) made by rhettinger
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Category: None
Group: None
>Status: Closed
>Resolution: Rejected
Priority: 5
Submitted By: Thomas Justin Shaw (justinshaw)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: Make modules callable

Initial Comment:
Many modules are have the same name as the main class 
they contain.  I.E. 

gnu = Gnuplot.Gnuplot()

Why not make modules callable.  That is if a module 
contains a function called "__init__()" then that 
fucntion gets called whenever the code

x = module(args)

is encountered.

Just an idea.

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>Comment By: Raymond Hettinger (rhettinger)
Date: 2003-06-28 02:15

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On python-dev, Guido vetoed any efforts to make modules 
look more like classes. 

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Comment By: Cherniavsky Beni (cben)
Date: 2003-03-10 11:36

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It'd be better to do that on `__call__`.  One would expect
`__init__` to be called when the module object is
initialized (which is not really needed because you can
write it in a the top level).
This only makes sense as a complete upgrade of modules to
object capabilities, i.e. `__add__`, `__getitem__`,
`__setattr__` should be implemented then too.  I'm not sure
that's a good idea.
To be precise, the above ideas lose the distinction between
the type and it's instances - these special functions should
only be called for instances of the module but moduels don't
have instances...
An alternative proposal: implement just one magic function,
`__new__`, that if present is called at the end of the
import and the object returned by it is used instead of the
module.  This allows any objects (e.g. class instances with
all their magic) to be exposed as modules.  You can already
do this by installing any object in sys.modules; this would
provide a clean way to do it from inside the module.

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Comment By: Thomas Justin Shaw (justinshaw)
Date: 2003-01-23 19:19

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The problem with:
from Gnuplot import Gnuplot
is that now you cannot do:
d = Gnuplot.Data()

Yes, I agree "__call__" is more explicit.

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Comment By: Raymond Hettinger (rhettinger)
Date: 2003-01-22 23:48

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I don't think this shortcut gives an advantage over:
     from Gnuplot import Gnuplot
     . . .
     x = Gnuplot(args)




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Comment By: Andrew Bennetts (spiv)
Date: 2002-06-27 02:51

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Wouldn't calling a function named "__call__" make more sense
than "__init__"?

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