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Get the name of the superlcass?

Remco Gerlich scarblac-spamtrap at pino.selwerd.nl
Thu Jul 20 03:56:02 EDT 2000 
Thomas Weholt wrote in comp.lang.python:
> I`m subclassing from a superclass. I can get the name of the subclass
> by using Subclass.__class__.name. But I would like to get the name of
> the superclass as well, but not lose the option of getting the
> subclass either. 
> 
> Ex. I got a class Structure, and a sublcass Building. I want to check
> in a list for structures, then see if any of them are buildings. 

Use isinstance(). isinstance(object, class) is 1 if the object is an
instance of the class or one of its subclasses.

class Structure:
  pass
  
class Building(Structure):
  pass
  
generic_structue = Structure()
some_building = Building()

Now 
isinstance(some_building, Structure) == 1
isinstance(some_building, Building) == 1
isinstance(generic_structure, Structure) == 1
isinstance(generic_structure, Building) == 0

If you want to know the superclasses of a class, use class.__bases__
(like Building.__bases__[0].__name__ == "Structure"). But using
isinstance is probably better.

-- 
Remco Gerlich,  scarblac at pino.selwerd.nl
  9:54am  up 135 days, 22:03,  6 users,  load average: 0.40, 0.19, 0.12
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