Python has classes for Tkinter variables StringVar(), BooleanVar(), etc. These all share the methods get(), set(string), and trace(mode, callback). The callback function passed as the second argument to trace(mode, callback) is passed four arguments, self, n, m, x.
For an example of a BooleanVar() these appear to be '', 'PYVAR0', 'w'.
The third argument x appears to be the mode that triggered the trace, in my case the variable was changed. However, what is the first variable that appears to be an empty string? What is the second, if I had to guess I'd say some internal name for the variable?
The first argument is the internal variable name. You can use this name as an argument to the tkinter getvar and setvar methods. If you give your variable a name (eg: StringVar(name='foo')) this will be the given name, otherwise it will be a name generated for you by tkinter (eg: PYVAR0)
If the first argument represents a list variable (highly unlikely in tkinter), the second argument will be an index into that list. If it is a scalar variable, the second argument will be the empty string.
The third argument is the operation, useful if you are using the same method for reading, writing and/or deleting the variable. This argument tells you which operation triggered the callback. It will be one of "read", "write", or "unset".
Tkinter is a python wrapper around a tcl/tk interpreter. The definitive documentation for variable traces can be found here: http://tcl.tk/man/tcl8.5/TclCmd/trace.htm#M14. Though, this only documents how the internal trace works, the tkinter wrapper sometimes massages the data.
The first argument is the name of the variable, but is not "useless" since you can set it when you declare the variable, e.g.:
someVar = IntVar(name="Name of someVar")
When you check the first argument in the trace callback it will equal "Name of someVar". Using the name to distinguish between variables, you can then bind the same handler to trace changes to any number of variables, rather than needing a separate handler for each variable.
Related
Im trying to build a calculator with PyQt4 and connecting the 'clicked()' signals from the buttons doesn't work as expected.
Im creating my buttons for the numbers inside a for loop where i try to connect them afterwards.
def __init__(self):
for i in range(0,10):
self._numberButtons += [QPushButton(str(i), self)]
self.connect(self._numberButtons[i], SIGNAL('clicked()'), lambda : self._number(i))
def _number(self, x):
print(x)
When I click on the buttons all of them print out '9'.
Why is that so and how can i fix this?
This is just, how scoping, name lookup and closures are defined in Python.
Python only introduces new bindings in namespace through assignment and through parameter lists of functions. i is therefore not actually defined in the namespace of the lambda, but in the namespace of __init__(). The name lookup for i in the lambda consequently ends up in the namespace of __init__(), where i is eventually bound to 9. This is called "closure".
You can work around these admittedly not really intuitive (but well-defined) semantics by passing i as a keyword argument with default value. As said, names in parameter lists introduce new bindings in the local namespace, so i inside the lambda then becomes independent from i in .__init__():
self._numberButtons[i].clicked.connect(lambda checked, i=i: self._number(i))
UPDATE: clicked has a default checked argument that would override the value of i, so it must be added to the argument list before the keyword value.
A more readable, less magic alternative is functools.partial:
self._numberButtons[i].clicked.connect(partial(self._number, i))
I'm using new-style signal and slot syntax here simply for convenience, old style syntax works just the same.
You are creating closures. Closures really capture a variable, not the value of a variable. At the end of __init__, i is the last element of range(0, 10), i.e. 9. All the lambdas you created in this scope refer to this i and only when they are invoked, they get the value of i at the time they are at invoked (however, seperate invocations of __init__ create lambdas referring to seperate variables!).
There are two popular ways to avoid this:
Using a default parameter: lambda i=i: self._number(i). This work because default parameters bind a value at function definition time.
Defining a helper function helper = lambda i: (lambda: self._number(i)) and use helper(i) in the loop. This works because the "outer" i is evaluated at the time i is bound, and - as mentioned before - the next closure created in the next invokation of helper will refer to a different variable.
Use the Qt way, use QSignalMapper instead.
Here I have written a function which takes two lists as argument. But when I called this function passing one list as argument, it works well! Why is this working? Here name_function has two arguments but I passed only one list as argument.
def name_function(names=list(),_list=list()):
for name in names:
_list.append(name)
return _list
print(name_function(['mike','smith','bob']))
Here in the function definition you have initialized both the
arguments with the empty list i.e. you are using two default
arguments in the function definition.
For the above reason the function call works if you provide provide
both the arguments or any one of the arguments or no argument at
all.
To learn more about default arguments in python you can refer this
link or this link.
I have a function that performs a specific task, and this function takes many options, both named and unnamed options. For example:
def eat_fruit(x,a_number=None , a_fruit=None):
return(f'{x} ate {str(a_number)} {a_fruit}')
#call the function
eat_fruit("John",a_number=5,a_fruit='apples') #outputs 'John ate 5 apples'
Now, I have another function that takes many options, for example:
def do_lots_of_stuff(a,b,activity_1=None,activity_2=None):
return(f'''{a} and {b} {activity_1} and {activity_2}''')
do_lots_of_stuff("Bob","Mary",activity_1='run',activity_2='jump') #returns "Bob and Mary run and jump"
I want to have the function do_lots_of_stuff call the function eat_fruit, sometimes with options. However, it is not clear to me how to pass options from one to the other in a straightforward manner.
Ideally, I am looking for something like:
#This code does not work; it demos the type of functionality I am looking for.
do_lots_of_stuff("Bob","Mary",activity_1='run',activity_2='jump', eat_fruit_options={*put_options_here*}):
eat_fruit(eat_fruit_options)
return(f'''{a} and {b} {activity_1} and {activity_2}''')
Note that this can't be accomplished via do_lots_of_stuff(*do_lots_of_stuff_options*, *eat_fruit_options*) since options for eat_fruit are not valid do_lots_of_stuff options. Furthermore, keyword arguments must come after positional arguments. In addition this solution does not seem to be sufficient here, because I only want to pass some arguments, not all of them.
Other relevant links (although I don't believe they successfully address my question):
can I pass all positional arguments from one function to another in python?
Passing variables between functions in Python
Passing value from one function to another in Python
do_lots_of_stuff("Bob","Mary",activity_1='run',activity_2='jump', eat_fruit_args=["John"], eat_fruit_kwargs={"a_number": 5, "a_fruit": "apples"}):
eat_fruit(*eat_fruit_args, **eat_fruit_kwargs)
return(f'''{a} and {b} {activity_1} and {activity_2}''')
You can pass and forward arguments and keyword arguments. Arguments are in the form of a list. Keyword arguments (kwargs) are in the form of a dictionary, with the key as a string, and the value as the correlating keyword value.
I have functions process and matrix. The following code works
process(matrix({{2,4,6},{8,10,12},{14,16,20}}))
However the following doesn't work.
n='matrix({{2,4,6},{8,10,12},{14,16,20}})'
process(n)
It throws some error. The reason is obvious that process takes n as string rather than the output of the function matrix. So the basic difficulty involved here is about evaluating string from variable n and then give it as argument to the function process. Here loadstring function is of no use as matrix is local function and can't be referred from loadstring.
Is there any work around for this? I hope that I have clearly stated the problem here. It is about evaluating (or unloading) string and then passing it as argument to another function. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.
as matrix is local function
Lua takes local declarations seriously. If a variable is declared local, it can only be accessed by code which is statically within the local scope of that variable. Strings which you later turn into code are not statically in the local scope and therefore cannot access local variables.
Now, with Lua 5.2+, you can provide load with a second parameter, a table which represents the global environment against which that Lua chunk will be built. If that table contains a matrix value, then the loaded string can access it. For Lua 5.1, you'd have to use setfenv on the function returned to load to accomplish a similar effect. The Lua 5.2+ method would look like this:
local env = {matrix = matrix}
local func = load("return matrix({{2,4,6},{8,10,12},{14,16,20}})", nil, "t", env)
process(func())
Note the following:
You must create an explicit table which is the global environment. There's nothing you can pass that says "make my locals available"; you have to put every local you'd like to access there. Which is, generally speaking, why you pass these things as parameters or just make them globals.
You explicitly need the "return " there if you want to get the results of the call to matrix.
You have to call the function. Functions are values in Lua, so you can freely pass them around. But if you want to pass the results of a function to another function, you have to actually call it.
Can someone explain call by name, reference, and value in depth and also compare them to each other?
Simple examples would be great as well. I am really focused on call by name, it feels like it's very similar to call by reference.
call by name : in call by name actual argument is not evaluated at the place of function calling rather they replace all the instance of corresponding formal parameters in text.
Actual argument are evaluated as many times as required.
Actual argument are evaluated within "caller" environment (if needed) :