Can I add custom methods/attributes to built-in Py

问题:

For example—say I want to add a helloWorld() method to Python's dict type. Can I do this?

JavaScript has a prototype object that behaves this way. Maybe it's bad design and I should subclass the dict object, but then it only works on the subclasses and I want it to work on any and all future dictionaries.

Here's how it would go down in JavaScript:

String.prototype.hello = function() {
    alert("Hello, " + this + "!");
}
"Jed".hello() //alerts "Hello, Jed!"

Here's a useful link with more examples— http://www.javascriptkit.com/javatutors/proto3.shtml

回答1:

You can't directly add the method to the original type. However, you can subclass the type then substitute it in the built-in/global namespace, which achieves most of the effect desired. Unfortunately, objects created by literal syntax will continue to be of the vanilla type and won't have your new methods/attributes.

Here's what it looks like

# Built-in namespace
import __builtin__

# Extended subclass
class mystr(str):
    def first_last(self):
        if self:
            return self[0] + self[-1]
        else:
            return ''

# Substitute the original str with the subclass on the built-in namespace    
__builtin__.str = mystr

print str(1234).first_last()
print str(0).first_last()
print str('').first_last()
print '0'.first_last()

output = """
14
00

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "strp.py", line 16, in <module>
    print '0'.first_last()
AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'first_last'
"""

回答2:

Yes, by subclassing those types. See unifying types and classes in Python.

No, this doesn't mean that actual dicts will have this type, because that would be confusing. Subclassing a builtin type is the preferred way to add functionality.

回答3:

Subclassing is the way to go in Python. Polyglot programmers learn to use the right tool for the right situation - within reason. Something as artfully constructed as Rails (a DSL using Ruby) is painfully difficult to implement in a language with more rigid syntax like Python. People often compare the two saying how similar they are. The comparison is somewhat unfair. Python shines in its own ways. totochto.