Why I need the parameter when the call doesn't use it?

[Ben Finney]

Niklas Rosencrantz <niklasro at gmail.com> writes:

> I modularize code for a webapp and I want to know what python makes
> that a need to define an argument called self?

Because, when calling a method on an instance, the instance is a
parameter to the call. That is,

    foo = Thribble()
    foo.bar("spam")

is usually syntactic sugar for

    foo = Thribble()
    foo.__class__.bar(foo, "spam")

and so the definition of that function on the Thribble class needs to
accept both parameters.

> Here's some code where I'm modularizing a recaptcha test to a function
> and the I must add the parameter "self" to the function
> is_submitter_human

Yes, because the code of ‘is_submitter_human’ needs to know *which*
instance has been passed. That instance is bound to the first parameter,
which is conventionally named ‘self’.

> It seems unlike other programming languages where the number of
> arguments in the call are the same as the number of arguments in the
> function head and python requires me to add one parameter to the
> function head and I wonder if you call tell me something about the
> background why?

I hope that explains.

See also:

    <URL:http://docs.python.org/faq/programming.html#what-is-self>
    <URL:http://docs.python.org/faq/design.html#why-self>

-- 
 \      “Nullius in verba” (“Take no-one's word for it”) —motto of the |
  `\                                   Royal Society, since 1663-06-30 |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney