Book Image

Metaprogramming with Python

By : Sulekha AloorRavi
Book Image

Metaprogramming with Python

By: Sulekha AloorRavi

Overview of this book

Effective and reusable code makes your application development process seamless and easily maintainable. With Python, you will have access to advanced metaprogramming features that you can use to build high-performing applications. The book starts by introducing you to the need and applications of metaprogramming, before navigating the fundamentals of object-oriented programming. Next, you will learn about simple decorators, work with metaclasses, and later focus on introspection and reflection. You’ll also delve into generics and typing before defining templates for algorithms. As you progress, you will understand your code using abstract syntax trees and explore method resolution order. This Python book also shows you how to create your own dynamic objects before structuring the objects through design patterns. Finally, you will learn simple code-generation techniques along with discovering best practices and eventually building your own applications. By the end of this learning journey, you’ll have acquired the skills and confidence you need to design and build reusable high-performing applications that can solve real-world problems.
Table of Contents (21 chapters)
1
Part 1: Fundamentals – Introduction to Object-Oriented Python and Metaprogramming
4
Part 2: Deep Dive – Building Blocks of Metaprogramming I
11
Part 3: Deep Dive – Building Blocks of Metaprogramming II

Chapter 8: Defining Templates for Algorithms

In this chapter, we will look at what templates are and how to implement template programming in Python.

What are templates and where are they useful? The main usage of applying the concepts of metaprogramming during the process of developing an application is to design a reusable framework that can be manipulated externally through the programming of metadata of Python objects rather than modifying the object itself. Templates, as the name suggests, can act as a template, a format, or a model on how a sequence of operations can be performed on a Python object. These templates can be used to define the common functionalities of methods within a class and to reuse them through the application of the object-oriented programming concept of inheritance.

Throughout this chapter, we will look at understanding how templates can be defined and used in Python and how a sequence of common operations can be designed into a template that fits...