substitution __str__ method of an instance

[Duncan Booth]

Steven D'Aprano <steve at REMOVE-THIS-cybersource.com.au> wrote:

> However, you can dispatch back to the instance if you really must:
> 
> 
> class MyObj(object):
>     def __init__(self):
>         self.__str__ = lambda self: "I'm an object!"
>     def __str__(self):
>         return self.__str__(self)
> 
> 
> But honestly, this sounds like a bad idea. If instances of the one 
class 
> have such radically different methods that they need to be treated 
like 
> this, I question whether they actually belong in the same class.
> 

Another option would be to just change the class of the object:

>>> class C(object):
	pass

>>> c = C()
>>> print c
<__main__.C object at 0x01180C70>
>>> def wrapstr(instance, fn=None):
	if fn is None:
		def fn(self): return "I'm an object"
	Wrapper = type(instance.__class__.__name__, (instance.__class__,), 
{'__str__':fn})
	instance.__class__ = Wrapper

	
>>> wrapstr(c)
>>> print c
I'm an object
>>> isinstance(c, C)
True
>>> type(c)
<class '__main__.C'>
>>> wrapstr(c, lambda s: "object %s at %s" % (type(s).__name__, id(s)))
>>> print c
object C at 18353264

(I'll leave enhancing wrapstr so that it avoids multiple levels of 
wrapping as an exercise for anyone who actually wants to use it.)

-- 
Duncan Booth http://kupuguy.blogspot.com