How to determine a variable's datatype?

[Peter Bittner]

Hi there!

Is it possible in Python to determine the datatype of an object?

E.g. (kind of like this)
     var1 = 3
     var2 = 'Hello'
     var1.datatype   ==> yields "int"
     var2.datatype   ==> yields "string" or list of characters

This would be crucial for this function that I want to write in a module
called 'sql':

 def insert(table_name, dict_of_tags_and_values):
   " returns a SQL-string that inserts a new dataset in a table"
   prefix   = 'INSERT INTO ' + str(table_name)
   entities = ''
   values   = ''
   for dictpair in dict_of_tags_and_values
     # - split this pair
     # - if value != '' (-> strings!!!) or...
     #      ... value != 0 (-> numbers/integers!!!):
     #     add strings to entities and values with or without 's
     #
   return prefix + ' (' + entities + ') VALUES (' + values + ')'

For a number the value added must be plain, for a string the 'value'
must be enclosed in '-characters.
Hence this is crucial to this application!

Does someone know if it's possible to determine it?

Please mail me any suggestion!!  (-> mailto: bittneph at aston.ac.uk)
Peter

| Peter H. Bittner
| International Student at Aston University
| e-mail: bittneph at aston.ac.uk
| web: http://beam.to/bimbo
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