Add section on methods equality and identity

Closes: #233
This commit is contained in:
Yonatan Goldschmidt 2020-11-03 01:55:49 +02:00
parent 902ca179eb
commit f13b98e6d5
2 changed files with 80 additions and 1 deletions

2
CONTRIBUTORS.md vendored
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@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ Following are the wonderful people (in no specific order) who have contributed t
| Ghost account | N/A | [#96](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/96)
| koddo | [koddo](https://github.com/koddo) | [#80](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/80), [#73](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/73) |
| jab | [jab](https://github.com/jab) | [#77](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/77) |
| Jongy | [Jongy](https://github.com/Jongy) | [#208](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/208), [#210](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/210) |
| Jongy | [Jongy](https://github.com/Jongy) | [#208](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/208), [#210](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/210), [#233](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/233) |
| Diptangsu Goswami | [diptangsu](https://github.com/diptangsu) | [#193](https://github.com/satwikkansal/wtfpython/issues/193) |
---

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README.md vendored
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@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ So, here we go...
+ [ The sticky output function](#-the-sticky-output-function)
+ [ The chicken-egg problem *](#-the-chicken-egg-problem-)
+ [ Subclass relationships](#-subclass-relationships)
+ [ Methods equality and identity](#-methods-equality-and-identity)
+ [ All-true-ation *](#-all-true-ation-)
+ [ The surprising comma](#-the-surprising-comma)
+ [ Strings and the backslashes](#-strings-and-the-backslashes)
@ -1122,6 +1123,84 @@ The Subclass relationships were expected to be transitive, right? (i.e., if `A`
---
### ▶ Methods equality and identity
<!-- Example ID: 94802911-48fe-4242-defa-728ae893fa32 --->
1.
```py
class SomeClass:
def method(self):
pass
@classmethod
def classm(cls):
pass
@staticmethod
def staticm():
pass
```
**Output:**
```py
>>> print(SomeClass.method is SomeClass.method)
True
>>> print(SomeClass.classm is SomeClass.classm)
False
>>> print(SomeClass.classm == SomeClass.classm)
True
>>> print(SomeClass.staticm is SomeClass.staticm)
True
```
Accessing `classm` twice, we get an equal object, but not the *same* one? Let's see what happens
with instances of `SomeClass`:
2.
```py
o1 = SomeClass()
o2 = SomeClass()
```
**Output:**
```py
>>> print(o1.method == o2.method)
False
>>> print(o1.method == o1.method)
True
>>> print(o1.method is o1.method)
False
>>> print(o1.classm is o1.classm)
False
>>> print(o1.classm == o1.classm == o2.classm == SomeClass.classm)
True
>>> print(o1.staticm is o1.staticm is o2.staticm is SomeClass.staticm)
True
```
Accessing` classm` or `method` twice, creates equal but not *same* objects for the same instance of `SomeClass`.
#### 💡 Explanation
* Functions are [descriptors](https://docs.python.org/3/howto/descriptor.html). Whenever a function is accessed as an
attribute, the descriptor is invoked, creating a method object which "binds" the function with the object owning the
attribute. If called, the method calls the function, implicitly passing the bound object as the first argument
(this is how we get `self` as the first argument, despite not passing it explicitly).
* Accessing the attribute multiple times creates multiple method objects! Therefore `o1.method is o2.method` is
never truthy. Accessing functions as class attributes (as opposed to instance) does not create methods, however; so
`SomeClass.method is SomeClass.method` is truthy.
* `classmethod` transforms functions into class methods. Class methods are descriptors that, when accessed, create
a method object which binds the *class* (type) of the object, instead of the object itself.
* Unlike functions, `classmethod`s will create a method also when accessed as class attributes (in which case they
bind the class, not to the type of it). So `SomeClass.classm is SomeClass.classm` is falsy.
* A method object compares equal when both the functions are equal, and the bound objects are the same. So
`o1.method == o1.method` is truthy, although not the same object in memory.
* `staticmethod` transforms functions into a "no-op" descriptor, which returns the function as-is. No method
objects are ever created, so comparison with `is` is truthy.
* Having to create new "method" objects every time Python calls instance methods affected performance badly.
CPython 3.7 [solved it](https://bugs.python.org/issue26110) by introducing new opcodes that deal with calling methods
without creating the temporary method objects. This is used only when the accessed function is actually called, so the
snippets here are not affected, and still generate methods :)
### ▶ All-true-ation *
<!-- Example ID: dfe6d845-e452-48fe-a2da-0ed3869a8042 -->