Using a dictionary to select function to execute

JohnnyDH picture JohnnyDH · Feb 6, 2012 · Viewed 120.6k times · Source

I am trying to use functional programming to create a dictionary containing a key and a function to execute:

myDict={}
myItems=("P1","P2","P3",...."Pn")
def myMain(key):
    def ExecP1():
        pass
    def ExecP2():
        pass
    def ExecP3():
        pass
        ...
    def ExecPn():
        pass  

Now, I have seen a code used to find the defined functions in a module, and I need to do something like this:

    for myitem in myItems:
        myDict[myitem] = ??? #to dynamically find the corresponding function

So my question is, How do I make a list of all the Exec functions and then assign them to the desired item using the a dictionary? so at the end I will have myDict["P1"]() #this will call ExecP1()

My real problem is that I have tons of those items and I making a library that will handle them so the final user only needs to call myMain("P1")

I think using the inspect module, but I am not so sure how to do it.

My reason to avoid:

def ExecPn():
    pass
myDict["Pn"]=ExecPn

is that I have to protect code as I am using it to provide a scripting feature within my application.

Answer

S.Lott picture S.Lott · Feb 6, 2012

Simplify, simplify, simplify:

def p1(args):
    whatever

def p2(more args):
    whatever

myDict = {
    "P1": p1,
    "P2": p2,
    ...
    "Pn": pn
}

def myMain(name):
    myDict[name]()

That's all you need.


You might consider the use of dict.get with a callable default if name refers to an invalid function—

def myMain(name):
    myDict.get(name, lambda: 'Invalid')()

(Picked this neat trick up from Martijn Pieters)