[Tutor] Python structure advice ?

[Dave S]

Jeff Shannon wrote:

> Dave S wrote:
>
>> Kent Johnson wrote:
>>
>>> Why do you say this is 'cheaty'? A class is basically a collection 
>>> of data (state) and functions to operate on that state.
>>
>>
>>
>> Sorry for the delay, real world work got in the way ...
>>
>> Well I understand classes to be used when multiple instances are 
>> required, I will only need one instance and as such it seemed a bit 
>> of a cheat, The trouble is I now pretty well understand the tools, 
>> but don't know how you guys use them in the real world.
>
>
> For what it's worth, it seems to me to be perfectly normal to have 
> classes that are only ever intended to have a single instance.  For 
> example, you're never likely to need more than one HTML parser, and 
> yet htmllib.HTMLParser is a class...

Well if its good enough for a Python lib ...

>
> As Kent said, the main point of a class is that you have a collection 
> of data and operations on that data bundled together.  Whether you 
> have one set of data to operate on, or many such sets, is mostly 
> irrelevant (though classes are even more valuable when there *are* 
> many sets of data).  Defining a class isn't so much a statement that 
> "I want lots of things like this", as it is a declaration of 
> modularity -- "This stuff all belongs together as a unit".


OK Im a reformed ('L' plate programmer) its going to be classes :-)

>
> Jeff Shannon
> Technician/Programmer
> Credit International
>
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