Pointers

[Will Ware]

Curtis Jensen (cjensen at bioeng.ucsd.edu) wrote:
> >>> d={'A':0,'B':0}
> >>> class A:
> ...   def __init__(self):
> ...     self.a -> (Pointer to) d['A']
> ... 
> >>> class B:
> ...   def __init__(self):
> ...     self.b -> (Pointer to) d['B']
> >>> a=A()
> >>> b=B()
> >>> print a.a
> 0
> >>> print b.b
> 0
> >>> d['A'] = 1
> >>> d['B'] = 2
> >>> print a.a
> 1
> >>> print b.b
> 2

> If the data in the dictionary changes, I want the data in the class to
> automaticaly change also.  Is this possible?  Or at least something
> close?

OK, I see the rub here. When you type "d['A'] = 1", the thing to which
a.a referred still exists, but now d['A'] is referring to something else.
You might need to do an on-the-fly dictionary lookup, like this:

>>> d={'A':0,'B':0}
>>> class A:
...   def __init__(self):
...     self.dict = d
...   def a(self):
...     return self.dict['A']

That should do it for you, I think, albeit inefficient. The inefficiency
results because you care what happens when 'd' has one of its entries
reassigned.
-- 
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Resistance is futile. Capacitance is efficacious.
Will Ware	email:    wware @ world.std.com