[FAQTS] Python Knowledge Base Update -- July 30th, 2000

[Fiona Czuczman]

Hello Guys,

The latest entries to http://python.faqts.com

cheers,

Fiona


## New Entries #################################################


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What is the difference between 'import Tkinter' and 'from Tkinter import *'?
http://www.faqts.com/knowledge-base/view.phtml/aid/5096
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Fiona Czuczman
richard_chamberlain

If you use the from <something> import <something or *> it imports the
contents into the current namespace.

For instance if you use:

from Tkinter import *

you can use Label or Button directly,

However, if you use import Tkinter you would have to use Tkinter.Label 
or Tkinter.Button.

It is considered fairly poor practice to use from * import because 
you're bringing everything into the current namespace. One of the 
exceptions to this is GUI programming  (i.e. Tkinter or whatever) 
because the names used are fairly obviously GUI related 
(Button,Widget,Canvas,etc.)


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Does anyone know how to read the PCI configuration space with Python under Win 98 or Linux?
http://www.faqts.com/knowledge-base/view.phtml/aid/5097
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Fiona Czuczman
Shae Erisson, Erno Kuusela, Moshe Zadka, Tim Roberts

Under linux you have 3 options:

* use the lspci program. try lspci -x or lspci -vvv
* read the files under /proc/bus/pci/ (this is actually what the lspci 
program does, but using lspci might save you from future format changes 
in these files...)
* read /proc/pci
  do this if you are using an older version of linux (2.0.x)

  cat /proc/pci

  Or, in Python,

  open("/proc/pci").read()

Doing this under Windows requires a C extension, and even then it isn't
easy.  Under Windows 98, you can scan the BIOS for the PCI entry point 
and call it directly.  Under Windows NT, even this doesn't work; you 
need the help of a kernel driver.

Much of the interesting PCI information is buried in the registry, which 
IS accessible from Python.