PEP:	447
Title:	Add __locallookup__ method to metaclass
Version:	cc078e71b111
Last-Modified:	2013-08-22 12:49:43 +0200 (Thu, 22 Aug 2013)
Author:	Ronald Oussoren <ronaldoussoren at mac.com>
Status:	Draft
Type:	Standards Track
Content-Type:	text/x-rst
Created:	12-Jun-2013
Post-History:	2-Jul-2013, 15-Jul-2013, 29-Jul-2013

Contents

Abstract

Currently object.__getattribute__ and super.__getattribute__ peek in the __dict__ of classes on the MRO for a class when looking for an attribute. This PEP adds an optional __locallookup__ method to a metaclass that can be used to override this behavior.

That is, the MRO walking loop in _PyType_Lookup and super.__getattribute__ gets changed from:

def lookup(mro_list, name):
    for cls in mro_list:
        if name in cls.__dict__:
            return cls.__dict__

    return NotFound

to:

def lookup(mro_list, name):
    for cls in mro_list:
        try:
            return cls.__locallookup__(name)
        except AttributeError:
            pass

    return NotFound

Rationale

It is currently not possible to influence how the super class [2] looks up attributes (that is, super.__getattribute__ unconditionally peeks in the class __dict__), and that can be problematic for dynamic classes that can grow new methods on demand.

The __locallookup__ method makes it possible to dynamicly add attributes even when looking them up using the super class [2].

The new method affects object.__getattribute__ (and PyObject_GenericGetAttr [3]) as well for consistency and to have a single place to implement dynamic attribute resolution for classes.

Background

The current behavior of super.__getattribute__ causes problems for classes that are dynamic proxies for other (non-Python) classes or types, an example of which is PyObjC [6]. PyObjC creates a Python class for every class in the Objective-C runtime, and looks up methods in the Objective-C runtime when they are used. This works fine for normal access, but doesn't work for access with super objects. Because of this PyObjC currently includes a custom super that must be used with its classes.

The API in this PEP makes it possible to remove the custom super and simplifies the implementation because the custom lookup behavior can be added in a central location.

The superclass attribute lookup hook

Both super.__getattribute__ and object.__getattribute__ (or PyObject_GenericGetAttr [3] and in particular _PyType_Lookup in C code) walk an object's MRO and currently peek in the class' __dict__ to look up attributes.

With this proposal both lookup methods no longer peek in the class __dict__ but call the special method __locallookup__, which is a slot defined on the metaclass. The default implementation of that method looks up the name the class __dict__, which means that attribute lookup is unchanged unless a metatype actually defines the new special method.

In Python code

A meta type can define a method __locallookup__ that is called during attribute resolution by both super.__getattribute__ and object.__getattribute:

class MetaType(type):
    def __locallookup__(cls, name):
        try:
            return cls.__dict__[name]
        except KeyError:
            raise AttributeError(name) from None

The __locallookup__ method has as its arguments a class (which is an instance of the meta type) and the name of the attribute that is looked up. It should return the value of the attribute without invoking descriptors, and should raise AttributeError [5] when the name cannot be found.

The type [4] class provides a default implementation for __locallookup__, that looks up the name in the class dictionary.

Example usage

The code below implements a silly metaclass that redirects attribute lookup to uppercase versions of names:

class UpperCaseAccess (type):
    def __locallookup__(cls, name):
        return cls.__dict__[name.upper()]

class SillyObject (metaclass=UpperCaseAccess):
    def m(self):
        return 42

    def M(self):
        return "fourtytwo"

obj = SillyObject()
assert obj.m() == "fortytwo"

In C code

A new slot tp_locallookup is added to the PyTypeObject struct, this slot corresponds to the __locallookup__ method on type [4].

The slot has the following prototype:

PyObject* (*locallookupfunc)(PyTypeObject* cls, PyObject* name);

This method should lookup name in the namespace of cls, without looking at superclasses, and should not invoke descriptors. The method returns NULL without setting an exception when the name cannot be found, and returns a new reference otherwise (not a borrowed reference).

Use of this hook by the interpreter

The new method is required for metatypes and as such is defined on type_. Both super.__getattribute__ and object.__getattribute__/PyObject_GenericGetAttr [3] (through _PyType_Lookup) use the this __locallookup__ method when walking the MRO.

Other changes to the implementation

The change for PyObject_GenericGetAttr [3] will be done by changing the private function _PyType_Lookup. This currently returns a borrowed reference, but must return a new reference when the __locallookup__ method is present. Because of this _PyType_Lookup will be renamed to _PyType_LookupName, this will cause compile-time errors for all out-of-tree users of this private API.

The attribute lookup cache in Objects/typeobject.c is disabled for classes that have a metaclass that overrides __locallookup__, because using the cache might not be valid for such classes.

Performance impact

The pybench output below compares an implementation of this PEP with the regular source tree, both based on changeset a5681f50bae2, run on an idle machine an Core i7 processor running Centos 6.4.

Even though the machine was idle there were clear differences between runs, I've seen difference in "minimum time" vary from -0.1% to +1.5%, with simular (but slightly smaller) differences in the "average time" difference.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PYBENCH 2.1
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* using CPython 3.4.0a0 (default, Jul 29 2013, 13:01:34) [GCC 4.4.7 20120313 (Red Hat 4.4.7-3)]
* disabled garbage collection
* system check interval set to maximum: 2147483647
* using timer: time.perf_counter
* timer: resolution=1e-09, implementation=clock_gettime(CLOCK_MONOTONIC)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Benchmark: pep447.pybench
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Rounds: 10
    Warp:   10
    Timer:  time.perf_counter

    Machine Details:
       Platform ID:    Linux-2.6.32-358.114.1.openstack.el6.x86_64-x86_64-with-centos-6.4-Final
       Processor:      x86_64

    Python:
       Implementation: CPython
       Executable:     /tmp/default-pep447/bin/python3
       Version:        3.4.0a0
       Compiler:       GCC 4.4.7 20120313 (Red Hat 4.4.7-3)
       Bits:           64bit
       Build:          Jul 29 2013 14:09:12 (#default)
       Unicode:        UCS4


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparing with: default.pybench
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Rounds: 10
    Warp:   10
    Timer:  time.perf_counter

    Machine Details:
       Platform ID:    Linux-2.6.32-358.114.1.openstack.el6.x86_64-x86_64-with-centos-6.4-Final
       Processor:      x86_64

    Python:
       Implementation: CPython
       Executable:     /tmp/default/bin/python3
       Version:        3.4.0a0
       Compiler:       GCC 4.4.7 20120313 (Red Hat 4.4.7-3)
       Bits:           64bit
       Build:          Jul 29 2013 13:01:34 (#default)
       Unicode:        UCS4


Test                             minimum run-time        average  run-time
                                 this    other   diff    this    other   diff
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          BuiltinFunctionCalls:    45ms    44ms   +1.3%    45ms    44ms   +1.3%
           BuiltinMethodLookup:    26ms    27ms   -2.4%    27ms    27ms   -2.2%
                 CompareFloats:    33ms    34ms   -0.7%    33ms    34ms   -1.1%
         CompareFloatsIntegers:    66ms    67ms   -0.9%    66ms    67ms   -0.8%
               CompareIntegers:    51ms    50ms   +0.9%    51ms    50ms   +0.8%
        CompareInternedStrings:    34ms    33ms   +0.4%    34ms    34ms   -0.4%
                  CompareLongs:    29ms    29ms   -0.1%    29ms    29ms   -0.0%
                CompareStrings:    43ms    44ms   -1.8%    44ms    44ms   -1.8%
    ComplexPythonFunctionCalls:    44ms    42ms   +3.9%    44ms    42ms   +4.1%
                 ConcatStrings:    33ms    33ms   -0.4%    33ms    33ms   -1.0%
               CreateInstances:    47ms    48ms   -2.9%    47ms    49ms   -3.4%
            CreateNewInstances:    35ms    36ms   -2.5%    36ms    36ms   -2.5%
       CreateStringsWithConcat:    69ms    70ms   -0.7%    69ms    70ms   -0.9%
                  DictCreation:    52ms    50ms   +3.1%    52ms    50ms   +3.0%
             DictWithFloatKeys:    40ms    44ms  -10.1%    43ms    45ms   -5.8%
           DictWithIntegerKeys:    32ms    36ms  -11.2%    35ms    37ms   -4.6%
            DictWithStringKeys:    29ms    34ms  -15.7%    35ms    40ms  -11.0%
                      ForLoops:    30ms    29ms   +2.2%    30ms    29ms   +2.2%
                    IfThenElse:    38ms    41ms   -6.7%    38ms    41ms   -6.9%
                   ListSlicing:    36ms    36ms   -0.7%    36ms    37ms   -1.3%
                NestedForLoops:    43ms    45ms   -3.1%    43ms    45ms   -3.2%
      NestedListComprehensions:    39ms    40ms   -1.7%    39ms    40ms   -2.1%
          NormalClassAttribute:    86ms    82ms   +5.1%    86ms    82ms   +5.0%
       NormalInstanceAttribute:    42ms    42ms   +0.3%    42ms    42ms   +0.0%
           PythonFunctionCalls:    39ms    38ms   +3.5%    39ms    38ms   +2.8%
             PythonMethodCalls:    51ms    49ms   +3.0%    51ms    50ms   +2.8%
                     Recursion:    67ms    68ms   -1.4%    67ms    68ms   -1.4%
                  SecondImport:    41ms    36ms  +12.5%    41ms    36ms  +12.6%
           SecondPackageImport:    45ms    40ms  +13.1%    45ms    40ms  +13.2%
         SecondSubmoduleImport:    92ms    95ms   -2.4%    95ms    98ms   -3.6%
       SimpleComplexArithmetic:    28ms    28ms   -0.1%    28ms    28ms   -0.2%
        SimpleDictManipulation:    57ms    57ms   -1.0%    57ms    58ms   -1.0%
         SimpleFloatArithmetic:    29ms    28ms   +4.7%    29ms    28ms   +4.9%
      SimpleIntFloatArithmetic:    37ms    41ms   -8.5%    37ms    41ms   -8.7%
       SimpleIntegerArithmetic:    37ms    41ms   -9.4%    37ms    42ms  -10.2%
      SimpleListComprehensions:    33ms    33ms   -1.9%    33ms    34ms   -2.9%
        SimpleListManipulation:    28ms    30ms   -4.3%    29ms    30ms   -4.1%
          SimpleLongArithmetic:    26ms    26ms   +0.5%    26ms    26ms   +0.5%
                    SmallLists:    40ms    40ms   +0.1%    40ms    40ms   +0.1%
                   SmallTuples:    46ms    47ms   -2.4%    46ms    48ms   -3.0%
         SpecialClassAttribute:   126ms   120ms   +4.7%   126ms   121ms   +4.4%
      SpecialInstanceAttribute:    42ms    42ms   +0.6%    42ms    42ms   +0.8%
                StringMappings:    94ms    91ms   +3.9%    94ms    91ms   +3.8%
              StringPredicates:    48ms    49ms   -1.7%    48ms    49ms   -2.1%
                 StringSlicing:    45ms    45ms   +1.4%    46ms    45ms   +1.5%
                     TryExcept:    23ms    22ms   +4.9%    23ms    22ms   +4.8%
                    TryFinally:    32ms    32ms   -0.1%    32ms    32ms   +0.1%
                TryRaiseExcept:    17ms    17ms   +0.9%    17ms    17ms   +0.5%
                  TupleSlicing:    49ms    48ms   +1.1%    49ms    49ms   +1.0%
                   WithFinally:    48ms    47ms   +2.3%    48ms    47ms   +2.4%
               WithRaiseExcept:    45ms    44ms   +0.8%    45ms    45ms   +0.5%
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals:                          2284ms  2287ms   -0.1%  2306ms  2308ms   -0.1%

(this=pep447.pybench, other=default.pybench)

A run of the benchmark suite (with option "-b 2n3") also seems to indicate that the performance impact is minimal:

Report on Linux fangorn.local 2.6.32-358.114.1.openstack.el6.x86_64 #1 SMP Wed Jul 3 02:11:25 EDT 2013 x86_64 x86_64
Total CPU cores: 8

### call_method_slots ###
Min: 0.304120 -> 0.282791: 1.08x faster
Avg: 0.304394 -> 0.282906: 1.08x faster
Significant (t=2329.92)
Stddev: 0.00016 -> 0.00004: 4.1814x smaller

### call_simple ###
Min: 0.249268 -> 0.221175: 1.13x faster
Avg: 0.249789 -> 0.221387: 1.13x faster
Significant (t=2770.11)
Stddev: 0.00012 -> 0.00013: 1.1101x larger

### django_v2 ###
Min: 0.632590 -> 0.601519: 1.05x faster
Avg: 0.635085 -> 0.602653: 1.05x faster
Significant (t=321.32)
Stddev: 0.00087 -> 0.00051: 1.6933x smaller

### fannkuch ###
Min: 1.033181 -> 0.999779: 1.03x faster
Avg: 1.036457 -> 1.001840: 1.03x faster
Significant (t=260.31)
Stddev: 0.00113 -> 0.00070: 1.6112x smaller

### go ###
Min: 0.526714 -> 0.544428: 1.03x slower
Avg: 0.529649 -> 0.547626: 1.03x slower
Significant (t=-93.32)
Stddev: 0.00136 -> 0.00136: 1.0028x smaller

### iterative_count ###
Min: 0.109748 -> 0.116513: 1.06x slower
Avg: 0.109816 -> 0.117202: 1.07x slower
Significant (t=-357.08)
Stddev: 0.00008 -> 0.00019: 2.3664x larger

### json_dump_v2 ###
Min: 2.554462 -> 2.609141: 1.02x slower
Avg: 2.564472 -> 2.620013: 1.02x slower
Significant (t=-76.93)
Stddev: 0.00538 -> 0.00481: 1.1194x smaller

### meteor_contest ###
Min: 0.196336 -> 0.191925: 1.02x faster
Avg: 0.196878 -> 0.192698: 1.02x faster
Significant (t=61.86)
Stddev: 0.00053 -> 0.00041: 1.2925x smaller

### nbody ###
Min: 0.228039 -> 0.235551: 1.03x slower
Avg: 0.228857 -> 0.236052: 1.03x slower
Significant (t=-54.15)
Stddev: 0.00130 -> 0.00029: 4.4810x smaller

### pathlib ###
Min: 0.108501 -> 0.105339: 1.03x faster
Avg: 0.109084 -> 0.105619: 1.03x faster
Significant (t=311.08)
Stddev: 0.00022 -> 0.00011: 1.9314x smaller

### regex_effbot ###
Min: 0.057905 -> 0.056447: 1.03x faster
Avg: 0.058055 -> 0.056760: 1.02x faster
Significant (t=79.22)
Stddev: 0.00006 -> 0.00015: 2.7741x larger

### silent_logging ###
Min: 0.070810 -> 0.072436: 1.02x slower
Avg: 0.070899 -> 0.072609: 1.02x slower
Significant (t=-191.59)
Stddev: 0.00004 -> 0.00008: 2.2640x larger

### spectral_norm ###
Min: 0.290255 -> 0.299286: 1.03x slower
Avg: 0.290335 -> 0.299541: 1.03x slower
Significant (t=-572.10)
Stddev: 0.00005 -> 0.00015: 2.8547x larger

### threaded_count ###
Min: 0.107215 -> 0.115206: 1.07x slower
Avg: 0.107488 -> 0.115996: 1.08x slower
Significant (t=-109.39)
Stddev: 0.00016 -> 0.00076: 4.8665x larger

The following not significant results are hidden, use -v to show them:
call_method, call_method_unknown, chaos, fastpickle, fastunpickle, float, formatted_logging, hexiom2, json_load, normal_startup, nqueens, pidigits, raytrace, regex_compile, regex_v8, richards, simple_logging, startup_nosite, telco, unpack_sequence.

Alternative proposals

`__getattribute_super__`

An earlier version of this PEP used the following static method on classes:

def __getattribute_super__(cls, name, object, owner): pass

This method performed name lookup as well as invoking descriptors and was necessarily limited to working only with super.__getattribute__.

Reuse `tp_getattro`

It would be nice to avoid adding a new slot, thus keeping the API simpler and easier to understand. A comment on Issue 18181 [1] asked about reusing the tp_getattro slot, that is super could call the tp_getattro slot of all methods along the MRO.

That won't work because tp_getattro will look in the instance __dict__ before it tries to resolve attributes using classes in the MRO. This would mean that using tp_getattro instead of peeking the class dictionaries changes the semantics of the super class [2].

References

Issue 18181 [1] contains a prototype implementation

[1]	(1, 2) http://bugs.python.org/issue18181

[2]	(1, 2, 3) http://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#super

[3]	(1, 2, 3, 4) http://docs.python.org/3/c-api/object.html#PyObject_GenericGetAttr

[4]	(1, 2) http://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#type

[5]	http://docs.python.org/3/library/exceptions.html#AttributeError

[6]	http://pyobjc.sourceforge.net/

Copyright

This document has been placed in the public domain.

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