Python: Using reflection to invoke class members from the class name

Question

If suppose i have a class name as a string, how can i use reflection to invoke its static member known before-hand? Some like this:

someInspectionMechanism("FooClass").staticMethod()

There is no global namespace for classes (and that's a good thing), so you better know where it's located. — , Feb 26 '12 at 15:33
Do you mean something like this: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4030982/initialise-class-object-by-name — Nobody moving away from SE, Feb 26 '12 at 15:34

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 26 '12 at 15:37

1

Use locals() or globals() to get the namespace dictionary, and look for a class with the name you want. The fact that you're using a static method is not relevant.

Example:

class Test:
    @staticmethod
    def method():
        return 'called static method'

assert locals()['Test'].method() == 'called static method'

answered Feb 26 '12 at 15:37

Francis Avila

31,233
6
58
96

The fact that it is a static method _is_ relevant, as he would otherwise need to instantiate the object. – Cory Dolphin Feb 26 '12 at 15:41
Yeah, but it's not relevant for getting access to the class. – David Z Feb 26 '12 at 15:50

Python: Using reflection to invoke class members from the class name

1 Answers1