[Python-Dev] PEP 8 updates/clarifications

[Jim Fulton]

skip at pobox.com wrote:
>     Jim> That's why, in my suggested writeup, I suggested that attributes
>     Jim> should be used if the accessors are trivial.
> 
> In my experience it's difficult to find the locations where another module
> mucks with your object's state.  Using properties or accessor methods
> coupling between modules is reduced and you can be more confident that the
> only place an object's state is modified directly is in its own code.

I don't understand this argument.  Any mutating method or property invoked by
foreign code changes an object's state.  If you provide a property or a pair
if accessors that just sets and gets an attribute with a slightly different name,
that affords no more protection than if people were setting the attribute directly.

If you don't want external code to change an attribute, don't expose it through
a public API.

Jim

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