Best way to create a class dynamically on the fly?

[Chad Netzer]

On Saturday 28 September 2002 19:08, Robert Oschler wrote:
>
> I understand but what I'm after is building the class itself
> dynamically, akin to the way you can manufacture a prolog predicate
> on the fly.  For example,  if wanted to create a class whose name was
> provided in a string variable called ClassName, at runtime.  Or did I
> misunderstand your reply?

Well, you could create a class at runtime, given a class name, using 
several techniques; But what would be the code?  Do you mean selecting 
from various classes (pre-made) given a string?  Or would the class 
code be generated on the fly?

Perhaps you mean you want to choose, at runtime, which class to 
instantiate given a string, such as in a Factory pattern.

ie:  (extremely simple example)

class Foo:
    def __init__( self ):
        return

def factory( name ):
    if name == 'dict':
        return {}       # An instance of a class
    elif name == 'list':
        return []       # Another instance
    elif name == 'foo':
        return Foo()    # A user defined class
    else:
        return None

This is creating an instance on the fly, given a name at runtime, 
rather than a class, but unless you are doing meta programming, I think 
perhaps it is what you mean (and I apologize if otherwise)

Here is a Python Cookbook entry on Factory patterns, BTW.:
http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/86900

BTW, rather than returning the instance, you could return the class 
object itself, to be instantiated later (ie. "return Foo", instead of 
"return Foo()")

-- 

Chad Netzer
cnetzer at mail.arc.nasa.gov