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

Introducing our core example

Throughout this chapter, we will be making use of a simulated schema named ABC Megamart to explain the concepts of OOP. The availability of an object-oriented approach in a programming language helps with effective reusability and abstraction of the language. Our example, ABC Megamart, is a simulated large retail store that sells multiple products across different cities and consists of multiple branches.

Let us give a structure to different entities of this store and look at how they can fit into an organized OOP paradigm. Our store consists of the following:

  • Products
  • Branches
  • Invoices
  • Holidays
  • Shelves
  • Inventory
  • Sales
  • Promotions/offers
  • Exchange counter
  • Finance

Each of these entities can have multiple attributes of data or information that are required to perform multiple functions in the smooth and efficient management of the stores.

Let us explore how these entities and their attributes can be structured...