[Zope] overload __getattr__ in brains-class?

[Jo Meder]

Am 18.07.2002, 21:54 Uhr
	schrub Dieter Maurer <dieter@handshake.de>:

>  > 	objects=Results.Results(result,brain,parent,None)
>  > 
>  > Now whatever I try, either some other __getattr__ seems to be called
>  > since I can get none of my "simulated" attributes to show up. 
> It should work with modern Zope versions.
> 
> I once tried and failed with an older version (Zope 2.1.6).
> My "__getattr__" led to an infinite loop.

I'm using 2.5.1 with python 2.1.3. AFAIK this is fairly recent. 

So either I'm making a some tragically stupid mistake or something
really strange is going on... Let me elaborate a bit (sorry for what
follows, it's rather longish):

The standard procedure for simulating class attributes in Python I
normally use is (set discussions of efficiency aside for a moment):

class a:

        def __init__(self):
		self.realattrib_a="this is real"

	def __getattr__(self,key):
		if key in self.__dict__.keys():
			return self.__dict__[key]
		else:
			return "simulated attribute"


where "realattrib_a" is the only genuine attribute of class a and
everything else should have a value of "simulated attribute"

This - of course - works perfectly when called with Python from the
command line.

Now I take this definition and use it as my brain-class. In my parent
class (which is a CMF class derived from PortalContent and
DefaultDublinCoreImpl and essentially represents an arbitrary list of
results of a RDBMS-Query) I do the following:

	def calculate_results(self,selectionparams):
	        <some logic to construct a query string from params>
		result=query_the_database(query_string)
		objects=Results.Results(result,a,self,None) 
		return objects

Next I have a DTML-Method that essentially contains:

<dtml-let result="calculate_results(selectionparams)">
   <dtml-if expr="result">
      <dtml-with expr="result[0]">
         <dtml-var expr="realattrib_a">
         <dtml-var expr="doesntexist_b">
      </dtml-with>
   </dtml-if>
</dtml-let>

And to my astonishment this already barfs on 
'<dtml-with expr="result[0]">' with a traceback
telling me that the __init__ of class a is flawed since there is no
attribute "realattrib_a".

??? How can an __init__-method complain about nonexisting attributes
when all I'm trying to do is define some? Ok, I tell myself, if Zope
wants me to live without sensible __init__-methods on brain-classes, I
can cope with that. I completely remove the __init__-method and the next
traceback I get is:

File /usr/lib/zope/lib/python/DocumentTemplate/DT_With.py, line 76, in render (Object: result[0])
File /usr/lib/zope/lib/python/DocumentTemplate/DT_Util.py, line 169, in eval (Object: realattrib_a)
	      (Info: realattrib_a)
File <string>, line 2, in f NameError: global name 'realattrib_a' is not defined


I really don't know what to try next. I know there has to be a really
simple solution to this problem, since it is such a simple thing to come
up with. But I have to admit, I'm completely lost. No ideas left to try,
no hope, no sunshine...

Perhaps I just didn't follow standard procedures for this situation, but
then I'm guilty of not having tried the appropriate search term with
zope.org or google. I'm stumped.
   
	Jo.


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