How to access args as a list?

[kj]

In <hp8h73$k17$1 at reader1.panix.com> kj <no.email at please.post> writes:

>Suppose I have a function with the following signature:

>def spam(x, y, z):
>    # etc.

>Is there a way to refer, within the function, to all its arguments
>as a single list?  (I.e. I'm looking for Python's equivalent of
>Perl's @_ variable.)

>I'm aware of locals(), but I want to preserve the order in which
>the arguments appear in the signature.

>My immediate aim is to set up a simple class that will allow me to
>iterate over the arguments passed to the constructor (plus letS me
                                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^
>refer to these individual arguments by their names using an
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>instance.attribute syntax, as usual).
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The underlined portion explains why __init__(self, *args) fails to
fit the bill.

>P.S. this is just an example; the function I want to implement has
>more parameters in its signature, with longer, more informative
>names.

Andreas, perhaps this paragraph explains why I find your solution
unappealing:  it requires typing the same thing over and over,
which increases the chances of bugs.  That's the reason I avoid
such repetitiveness, not laziness, as you so were so quick to accuse
me of.

~K