sufficiently pythonic code for testing type of function

[Fredrik Lundh]

Theerasak Photha wrote:

>> Now the real question : what if the object is not an instance of any of
>> the types, but still support the expected interface ?
> 
> Perhaps:
> 
> try:
>   for attribute in ['foo', 'bar', '__baz__']:
>     getattr(mystery_object, '__%s__' % attribute)
> except AttributeError:
>   # Do sumthin bout it
> 
> Is it wrong to 're-raise' an exception with application-specific
> details within an except clause?

nope, as long as the new exception is provides more accurate information 
about what actually happened.  something like

     try:
         do something
     except ValueError:
         raise RuntimeError("the frobnitz failed to catch the kitten")

can be a lot better than a 30-level traceback that ends with a line 
looking something like

     fnut.index(gah)

on the other hand, things like this are all too common:

    try:
        do something
    except:
        raise Exception("something happened")

also, checking for __method__ is, in general, not the right way to check 
if an object implements a given interface.  some types use C-level slots 
or alternative hooks to provide functionality, and such things are not 
always visible from the outside (Python knows how to use them, though).

so if you can, try doing the operation instead, and catch error (if you 
really need to check first, use an idempotent operation, if available).

</F>