How can I make an alias to a non-function member attribute in a Python class?

Question

I\'m in the midst of writing a Python library API and I often run into the scenario where my users want multiple different names for the same functions and variables.

If

Answer 1

You can provide a __setattr__ and __getattr__ that reference an aliases map:

class Dummy:
    aliases = {
        'xValue': 'x',
        'another': 'x',
    }

    def __init__(self):
        self.x = 17

    def __setattr__(self, name, value):
        name = self.aliases.get(name, name)
        object.__setattr__(self, name, value)

    def __getattr__(self, name):
        if name == "aliases":
            raise AttributeError  # http://nedbatchelder.com/blog/201010/surprising_getattr_recursion.html
        name = self.aliases.get(name, name)
        return object.__getattribute__(self, name)


d = Dummy()
assert d.x == 17
assert d.xValue == 17
d.x = 23
assert d.xValue == 23
d.xValue = 1492
assert d.x == 1492