symbian-qemu-0.9.1-12/python-2.6.1/Doc/library/compiler.rst
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     1 
       
     2 .. _compiler:
       
     3 
       
     4 ***********************
       
     5 Python compiler package
       
     6 ***********************
       
     7 
       
     8 .. deprecated:: 2.6
       
     9    The :mod:`compiler` package has been removed in Python 3.0.
       
    10 
       
    11 .. sectionauthor:: Jeremy Hylton <jeremy@zope.com>
       
    12 
       
    13 
       
    14 The Python compiler package is a tool for analyzing Python source code and
       
    15 generating Python bytecode.  The compiler contains libraries to generate an
       
    16 abstract syntax tree from Python source code and to generate Python
       
    17 :term:`bytecode` from the tree.
       
    18 
       
    19 The :mod:`compiler` package is a Python source to bytecode translator written in
       
    20 Python.  It uses the built-in parser and standard :mod:`parser` module to
       
    21 generated a concrete syntax tree.  This tree is used to generate an abstract
       
    22 syntax tree (AST) and then Python bytecode.
       
    23 
       
    24 The full functionality of the package duplicates the builtin compiler provided
       
    25 with the Python interpreter.  It is intended to match its behavior almost
       
    26 exactly.  Why implement another compiler that does the same thing?  The package
       
    27 is useful for a variety of purposes.  It can be modified more easily than the
       
    28 builtin compiler.  The AST it generates is useful for analyzing Python source
       
    29 code.
       
    30 
       
    31 This chapter explains how the various components of the :mod:`compiler` package
       
    32 work.  It blends reference material with a tutorial.
       
    33 
       
    34 
       
    35 The basic interface
       
    36 ===================
       
    37 
       
    38 .. module:: compiler
       
    39    :synopsis: Python code compiler written in Python.
       
    40    :deprecated:
       
    41 
       
    42 
       
    43 The top-level of the package defines four functions.  If you import
       
    44 :mod:`compiler`, you will get these functions and a collection of modules
       
    45 contained in the package.
       
    46 
       
    47 
       
    48 .. function:: parse(buf)
       
    49 
       
    50    Returns an abstract syntax tree for the Python source code in *buf*. The
       
    51    function raises :exc:`SyntaxError` if there is an error in the source code.  The
       
    52    return value is a :class:`compiler.ast.Module` instance that contains the tree.
       
    53 
       
    54 
       
    55 .. function:: parseFile(path)
       
    56 
       
    57    Return an abstract syntax tree for the Python source code in the file specified
       
    58    by *path*.  It is equivalent to ``parse(open(path).read())``.
       
    59 
       
    60 
       
    61 .. function:: walk(ast, visitor[, verbose])
       
    62 
       
    63    Do a pre-order walk over the abstract syntax tree *ast*.  Call the appropriate
       
    64    method on the *visitor* instance for each node encountered.
       
    65 
       
    66 
       
    67 .. function:: compile(source, filename, mode, flags=None,  dont_inherit=None)
       
    68 
       
    69    Compile the string *source*, a Python module, statement or expression, into a
       
    70    code object that can be executed by the exec statement or :func:`eval`. This
       
    71    function is a replacement for the built-in :func:`compile` function.
       
    72 
       
    73    The *filename* will be used for run-time error messages.
       
    74 
       
    75    The *mode* must be 'exec' to compile a module, 'single' to compile a single
       
    76    (interactive) statement, or 'eval' to compile an expression.
       
    77 
       
    78    The *flags* and *dont_inherit* arguments affect future-related statements, but
       
    79    are not supported yet.
       
    80 
       
    81 
       
    82 .. function:: compileFile(source)
       
    83 
       
    84    Compiles the file *source* and generates a .pyc file.
       
    85 
       
    86 The :mod:`compiler` package contains the following modules: :mod:`ast`,
       
    87 :mod:`consts`, :mod:`future`, :mod:`misc`, :mod:`pyassem`, :mod:`pycodegen`,
       
    88 :mod:`symbols`, :mod:`transformer`, and :mod:`visitor`.
       
    89 
       
    90 
       
    91 Limitations
       
    92 ===========
       
    93 
       
    94 There are some problems with the error checking of the compiler package.  The
       
    95 interpreter detects syntax errors in two distinct phases.  One set of errors is
       
    96 detected by the interpreter's parser, the other set by the compiler.  The
       
    97 compiler package relies on the interpreter's parser, so it get the first phases
       
    98 of error checking for free.  It implements the second phase itself, and that
       
    99 implementation is incomplete.  For example, the compiler package does not raise
       
   100 an error if a name appears more than once in an argument list:  ``def f(x, x):
       
   101 ...``
       
   102 
       
   103 A future version of the compiler should fix these problems.
       
   104 
       
   105 
       
   106 Python Abstract Syntax
       
   107 ======================
       
   108 
       
   109 The :mod:`compiler.ast` module defines an abstract syntax for Python.  In the
       
   110 abstract syntax tree, each node represents a syntactic construct.  The root of
       
   111 the tree is :class:`Module` object.
       
   112 
       
   113 The abstract syntax offers a higher level interface to parsed Python source
       
   114 code.  The :mod:`parser` module and the compiler written in C for the Python
       
   115 interpreter use a concrete syntax tree.  The concrete syntax is tied closely to
       
   116 the grammar description used for the Python parser.  Instead of a single node
       
   117 for a construct, there are often several levels of nested nodes that are
       
   118 introduced by Python's precedence rules.
       
   119 
       
   120 The abstract syntax tree is created by the :mod:`compiler.transformer` module.
       
   121 The transformer relies on the builtin Python parser to generate a concrete
       
   122 syntax tree.  It generates an abstract syntax tree from the concrete tree.
       
   123 
       
   124 .. index::
       
   125    single: Stein, Greg
       
   126    single: Tutt, Bill
       
   127 
       
   128 The :mod:`transformer` module was created by Greg Stein and Bill Tutt for an
       
   129 experimental Python-to-C compiler.  The current version contains a number of
       
   130 modifications and improvements, but the basic form of the abstract syntax and of
       
   131 the transformer are due to Stein and Tutt.
       
   132 
       
   133 
       
   134 AST Nodes
       
   135 ---------
       
   136 
       
   137 .. module:: compiler.ast
       
   138 
       
   139 
       
   140 The :mod:`compiler.ast` module is generated from a text file that describes each
       
   141 node type and its elements.  Each node type is represented as a class that
       
   142 inherits from the abstract base class :class:`compiler.ast.Node` and defines a
       
   143 set of named attributes for child nodes.
       
   144 
       
   145 
       
   146 .. class:: Node()
       
   147 
       
   148    The :class:`Node` instances are created automatically by the parser generator.
       
   149    The recommended interface for specific :class:`Node` instances is to use the
       
   150    public attributes to access child nodes.  A public attribute may be bound to a
       
   151    single node or to a sequence of nodes, depending on the :class:`Node` type.  For
       
   152    example, the :attr:`bases` attribute of the :class:`Class` node, is bound to a
       
   153    list of base class nodes, and the :attr:`doc` attribute is bound to a single
       
   154    node.
       
   155 
       
   156    Each :class:`Node` instance has a :attr:`lineno` attribute which may be
       
   157    ``None``.  XXX Not sure what the rules are for which nodes will have a useful
       
   158    lineno.
       
   159 
       
   160    All :class:`Node` objects offer the following methods:
       
   161 
       
   162 
       
   163    .. method:: getChildren()
       
   164 
       
   165       Returns a flattened list of the child nodes and objects in the order they
       
   166       occur.  Specifically, the order of the nodes is the order in which they
       
   167       appear in the Python grammar.  Not all of the children are :class:`Node`
       
   168       instances.  The names of functions and classes, for example, are plain
       
   169       strings.
       
   170 
       
   171 
       
   172    .. method:: getChildNodes()
       
   173 
       
   174       Returns a flattened list of the child nodes in the order they occur.  This
       
   175       method is like :meth:`getChildren`, except that it only returns those
       
   176       children that are :class:`Node` instances.
       
   177 
       
   178 
       
   179 Two examples illustrate the general structure of :class:`Node` classes.  The
       
   180 :keyword:`while` statement is defined by the following grammar production::
       
   181 
       
   182    while_stmt:     "while" expression ":" suite
       
   183                   ["else" ":" suite]
       
   184 
       
   185 The :class:`While` node has three attributes: :attr:`test`, :attr:`body`, and
       
   186 :attr:`else_`.  (If the natural name for an attribute is also a Python reserved
       
   187 word, it can't be used as an attribute name.  An underscore is appended to the
       
   188 word to make it a legal identifier, hence :attr:`else_` instead of
       
   189 :keyword:`else`.)
       
   190 
       
   191 The :keyword:`if` statement is more complicated because it can include several
       
   192 tests.   ::
       
   193 
       
   194    if_stmt: 'if' test ':' suite ('elif' test ':' suite)* ['else' ':' suite]
       
   195 
       
   196 The :class:`If` node only defines two attributes: :attr:`tests` and
       
   197 :attr:`else_`.  The :attr:`tests` attribute is a sequence of test expression,
       
   198 consequent body pairs.  There is one pair for each :keyword:`if`/:keyword:`elif`
       
   199 clause.  The first element of the pair is the test expression.  The second
       
   200 elements is a :class:`Stmt` node that contains the code to execute if the test
       
   201 is true.
       
   202 
       
   203 The :meth:`getChildren` method of :class:`If` returns a flat list of child
       
   204 nodes.  If there are three :keyword:`if`/:keyword:`elif` clauses and no
       
   205 :keyword:`else` clause, then :meth:`getChildren` will return a list of six
       
   206 elements: the first test expression, the first :class:`Stmt`, the second text
       
   207 expression, etc.
       
   208 
       
   209 The following table lists each of the :class:`Node` subclasses defined in
       
   210 :mod:`compiler.ast` and each of the public attributes available on their
       
   211 instances.  The values of most of the attributes are themselves :class:`Node`
       
   212 instances or sequences of instances.  When the value is something other than an
       
   213 instance, the type is noted in the comment.  The attributes are listed in the
       
   214 order in which they are returned by :meth:`getChildren` and
       
   215 :meth:`getChildNodes`.
       
   216 
       
   217 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   218 | Node type             | Attribute          | Value                           |
       
   219 +=======================+====================+=================================+
       
   220 | :class:`Add`          | :attr:`left`       | left operand                    |
       
   221 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   222 |                       | :attr:`right`      | right operand                   |
       
   223 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   224 | :class:`And`          | :attr:`nodes`      | list of operands                |
       
   225 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   226 | :class:`AssAttr`      |                    | *attribute as target of         |
       
   227 |                       |                    | assignment*                     |
       
   228 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   229 |                       | :attr:`expr`       | expression on the left-hand     |
       
   230 |                       |                    | side of the dot                 |
       
   231 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   232 |                       | :attr:`attrname`   | the attribute name, a string    |
       
   233 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   234 |                       | :attr:`flags`      | XXX                             |
       
   235 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   236 | :class:`AssList`      | :attr:`nodes`      | list of list elements being     |
       
   237 |                       |                    | assigned to                     |
       
   238 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   239 | :class:`AssName`      | :attr:`name`       | name being assigned to          |
       
   240 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   241 |                       | :attr:`flags`      | XXX                             |
       
   242 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   243 | :class:`AssTuple`     | :attr:`nodes`      | list of tuple elements being    |
       
   244 |                       |                    | assigned to                     |
       
   245 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   246 | :class:`Assert`       | :attr:`test`       | the expression to be tested     |
       
   247 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   248 |                       | :attr:`fail`       | the value of the                |
       
   249 |                       |                    | :exc:`AssertionError`           |
       
   250 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   251 | :class:`Assign`       | :attr:`nodes`      | a list of assignment targets,   |
       
   252 |                       |                    | one per equal sign              |
       
   253 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   254 |                       | :attr:`expr`       | the value being assigned        |
       
   255 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   256 | :class:`AugAssign`    | :attr:`node`       |                                 |
       
   257 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   258 |                       | :attr:`op`         |                                 |
       
   259 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   260 |                       | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   261 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   262 | :class:`Backquote`    | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   263 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   264 | :class:`Bitand`       | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   265 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   266 | :class:`Bitor`        | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   267 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   268 | :class:`Bitxor`       | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   269 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   270 | :class:`Break`        |                    |                                 |
       
   271 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   272 | :class:`CallFunc`     | :attr:`node`       | expression for the callee       |
       
   273 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   274 |                       | :attr:`args`       | a list of arguments             |
       
   275 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   276 |                       | :attr:`star_args`  | the extended \*-arg value       |
       
   277 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   278 |                       | :attr:`dstar_args` | the extended \*\*-arg value     |
       
   279 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   280 | :class:`Class`        | :attr:`name`       | the name of the class, a string |
       
   281 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   282 |                       | :attr:`bases`      | a list of base classes          |
       
   283 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   284 |                       | :attr:`doc`        | doc string, a string or         |
       
   285 |                       |                    | ``None``                        |
       
   286 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   287 |                       | :attr:`code`       | the body of the class statement |
       
   288 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   289 | :class:`Compare`      | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   290 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   291 |                       | :attr:`ops`        |                                 |
       
   292 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   293 | :class:`Const`        | :attr:`value`      |                                 |
       
   294 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   295 | :class:`Continue`     |                    |                                 |
       
   296 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   297 | :class:`Decorators`   | :attr:`nodes`      | List of function decorator      |
       
   298 |                       |                    | expressions                     |
       
   299 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   300 | :class:`Dict`         | :attr:`items`      |                                 |
       
   301 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   302 | :class:`Discard`      | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   303 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   304 | :class:`Div`          | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   305 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   306 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   307 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   308 | :class:`Ellipsis`     |                    |                                 |
       
   309 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   310 | :class:`Expression`   | :attr:`node`       |                                 |
       
   311 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   312 | :class:`Exec`         | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   313 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   314 |                       | :attr:`locals`     |                                 |
       
   315 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   316 |                       | :attr:`globals`    |                                 |
       
   317 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   318 | :class:`FloorDiv`     | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   319 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   320 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   321 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   322 | :class:`For`          | :attr:`assign`     |                                 |
       
   323 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   324 |                       | :attr:`list`       |                                 |
       
   325 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   326 |                       | :attr:`body`       |                                 |
       
   327 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   328 |                       | :attr:`else_`      |                                 |
       
   329 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   330 | :class:`From`         | :attr:`modname`    |                                 |
       
   331 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   332 |                       | :attr:`names`      |                                 |
       
   333 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   334 | :class:`Function`     | :attr:`decorators` | :class:`Decorators` or ``None`` |
       
   335 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   336 |                       | :attr:`name`       | name used in def, a string      |
       
   337 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   338 |                       | :attr:`argnames`   | list of argument names, as      |
       
   339 |                       |                    | strings                         |
       
   340 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   341 |                       | :attr:`defaults`   | list of default values          |
       
   342 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   343 |                       | :attr:`flags`      | xxx                             |
       
   344 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   345 |                       | :attr:`doc`        | doc string, a string or         |
       
   346 |                       |                    | ``None``                        |
       
   347 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   348 |                       | :attr:`code`       | the body of the function        |
       
   349 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   350 | :class:`GenExpr`      | :attr:`code`       |                                 |
       
   351 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   352 | :class:`GenExprFor`   | :attr:`assign`     |                                 |
       
   353 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   354 |                       | :attr:`iter`       |                                 |
       
   355 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   356 |                       | :attr:`ifs`        |                                 |
       
   357 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   358 | :class:`GenExprIf`    | :attr:`test`       |                                 |
       
   359 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   360 | :class:`GenExprInner` | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   361 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   362 |                       | :attr:`quals`      |                                 |
       
   363 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   364 | :class:`Getattr`      | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   365 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   366 |                       | :attr:`attrname`   |                                 |
       
   367 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   368 | :class:`Global`       | :attr:`names`      |                                 |
       
   369 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   370 | :class:`If`           | :attr:`tests`      |                                 |
       
   371 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   372 |                       | :attr:`else_`      |                                 |
       
   373 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   374 | :class:`Import`       | :attr:`names`      |                                 |
       
   375 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   376 | :class:`Invert`       | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   377 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   378 | :class:`Keyword`      | :attr:`name`       |                                 |
       
   379 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   380 |                       | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   381 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   382 | :class:`Lambda`       | :attr:`argnames`   |                                 |
       
   383 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   384 |                       | :attr:`defaults`   |                                 |
       
   385 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   386 |                       | :attr:`flags`      |                                 |
       
   387 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   388 |                       | :attr:`code`       |                                 |
       
   389 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   390 | :class:`LeftShift`    | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   391 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   392 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   393 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   394 | :class:`List`         | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   395 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   396 | :class:`ListComp`     | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   397 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   398 |                       | :attr:`quals`      |                                 |
       
   399 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   400 | :class:`ListCompFor`  | :attr:`assign`     |                                 |
       
   401 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   402 |                       | :attr:`list`       |                                 |
       
   403 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   404 |                       | :attr:`ifs`        |                                 |
       
   405 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   406 | :class:`ListCompIf`   | :attr:`test`       |                                 |
       
   407 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   408 | :class:`Mod`          | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   409 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   410 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   411 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   412 | :class:`Module`       | :attr:`doc`        | doc string, a string or         |
       
   413 |                       |                    | ``None``                        |
       
   414 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   415 |                       | :attr:`node`       | body of the module, a           |
       
   416 |                       |                    | :class:`Stmt`                   |
       
   417 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   418 | :class:`Mul`          | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   419 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   420 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   421 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   422 | :class:`Name`         | :attr:`name`       |                                 |
       
   423 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   424 | :class:`Not`          | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   425 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   426 | :class:`Or`           | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   427 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   428 | :class:`Pass`         |                    |                                 |
       
   429 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   430 | :class:`Power`        | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   431 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   432 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   433 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   434 | :class:`Print`        | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   435 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   436 |                       | :attr:`dest`       |                                 |
       
   437 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   438 | :class:`Printnl`      | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   439 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   440 |                       | :attr:`dest`       |                                 |
       
   441 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   442 | :class:`Raise`        | :attr:`expr1`      |                                 |
       
   443 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   444 |                       | :attr:`expr2`      |                                 |
       
   445 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   446 |                       | :attr:`expr3`      |                                 |
       
   447 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   448 | :class:`Return`       | :attr:`value`      |                                 |
       
   449 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   450 | :class:`RightShift`   | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   451 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   452 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   453 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   454 | :class:`Slice`        | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   455 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   456 |                       | :attr:`flags`      |                                 |
       
   457 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   458 |                       | :attr:`lower`      |                                 |
       
   459 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   460 |                       | :attr:`upper`      |                                 |
       
   461 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   462 | :class:`Sliceobj`     | :attr:`nodes`      | list of statements              |
       
   463 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   464 | :class:`Stmt`         | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   465 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   466 | :class:`Sub`          | :attr:`left`       |                                 |
       
   467 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   468 |                       | :attr:`right`      |                                 |
       
   469 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   470 | :class:`Subscript`    | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   471 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   472 |                       | :attr:`flags`      |                                 |
       
   473 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   474 |                       | :attr:`subs`       |                                 |
       
   475 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   476 | :class:`TryExcept`    | :attr:`body`       |                                 |
       
   477 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   478 |                       | :attr:`handlers`   |                                 |
       
   479 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   480 |                       | :attr:`else_`      |                                 |
       
   481 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   482 | :class:`TryFinally`   | :attr:`body`       |                                 |
       
   483 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   484 |                       | :attr:`final`      |                                 |
       
   485 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   486 | :class:`Tuple`        | :attr:`nodes`      |                                 |
       
   487 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   488 | :class:`UnaryAdd`     | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   489 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   490 | :class:`UnarySub`     | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   491 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   492 | :class:`While`        | :attr:`test`       |                                 |
       
   493 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   494 |                       | :attr:`body`       |                                 |
       
   495 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   496 |                       | :attr:`else_`      |                                 |
       
   497 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   498 | :class:`With`         | :attr:`expr`       |                                 |
       
   499 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   500 |                       | :attr:`vars`       |                                 |
       
   501 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   502 |                       | :attr:`body`       |                                 |
       
   503 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   504 | :class:`Yield`        | :attr:`value`      |                                 |
       
   505 +-----------------------+--------------------+---------------------------------+
       
   506 
       
   507 
       
   508 Assignment nodes
       
   509 ----------------
       
   510 
       
   511 There is a collection of nodes used to represent assignments.  Each assignment
       
   512 statement in the source code becomes a single :class:`Assign` node in the AST.
       
   513 The :attr:`nodes` attribute is a list that contains a node for each assignment
       
   514 target.  This is necessary because assignment can be chained, e.g. ``a = b =
       
   515 2``. Each :class:`Node` in the list will be one of the following classes:
       
   516 :class:`AssAttr`, :class:`AssList`, :class:`AssName`, or :class:`AssTuple`.
       
   517 
       
   518 Each target assignment node will describe the kind of object being assigned to:
       
   519 :class:`AssName` for a simple name, e.g. ``a = 1``. :class:`AssAttr` for an
       
   520 attribute assigned, e.g. ``a.x = 1``. :class:`AssList` and :class:`AssTuple` for
       
   521 list and tuple expansion respectively, e.g. ``a, b, c = a_tuple``.
       
   522 
       
   523 The target assignment nodes also have a :attr:`flags` attribute that indicates
       
   524 whether the node is being used for assignment or in a delete statement.  The
       
   525 :class:`AssName` is also used to represent a delete statement, e.g. :class:`del
       
   526 x`.
       
   527 
       
   528 When an expression contains several attribute references, an assignment or
       
   529 delete statement will contain only one :class:`AssAttr` node -- for the final
       
   530 attribute reference.  The other attribute references will be represented as
       
   531 :class:`Getattr` nodes in the :attr:`expr` attribute of the :class:`AssAttr`
       
   532 instance.
       
   533 
       
   534 
       
   535 Examples
       
   536 --------
       
   537 
       
   538 This section shows several simple examples of ASTs for Python source code.  The
       
   539 examples demonstrate how to use the :func:`parse` function, what the repr of an
       
   540 AST looks like, and how to access attributes of an AST node.
       
   541 
       
   542 The first module defines a single function.  Assume it is stored in
       
   543 :file:`/tmp/doublelib.py`.  ::
       
   544 
       
   545    """This is an example module.
       
   546 
       
   547    This is the docstring.
       
   548    """
       
   549 
       
   550    def double(x):
       
   551        "Return twice the argument"
       
   552        return x * 2
       
   553 
       
   554 In the interactive interpreter session below, I have reformatted the long AST
       
   555 reprs for readability.  The AST reprs use unqualified class names.  If you want
       
   556 to create an instance from a repr, you must import the class names from the
       
   557 :mod:`compiler.ast` module. ::
       
   558 
       
   559    >>> import compiler
       
   560    >>> mod = compiler.parseFile("/tmp/doublelib.py")
       
   561    >>> mod
       
   562    Module('This is an example module.\n\nThis is the docstring.\n', 
       
   563           Stmt([Function(None, 'double', ['x'], [], 0,
       
   564                          'Return twice the argument', 
       
   565                          Stmt([Return(Mul((Name('x'), Const(2))))]))]))
       
   566    >>> from compiler.ast import *
       
   567    >>> Module('This is an example module.\n\nThis is the docstring.\n', 
       
   568    ...    Stmt([Function(None, 'double', ['x'], [], 0,
       
   569    ...                   'Return twice the argument', 
       
   570    ...                   Stmt([Return(Mul((Name('x'), Const(2))))]))]))
       
   571    Module('This is an example module.\n\nThis is the docstring.\n', 
       
   572           Stmt([Function(None, 'double', ['x'], [], 0,
       
   573                          'Return twice the argument', 
       
   574                          Stmt([Return(Mul((Name('x'), Const(2))))]))]))
       
   575    >>> mod.doc
       
   576    'This is an example module.\n\nThis is the docstring.\n'
       
   577    >>> for node in mod.node.nodes:
       
   578    ...     print node
       
   579    ... 
       
   580    Function(None, 'double', ['x'], [], 0, 'Return twice the argument',
       
   581             Stmt([Return(Mul((Name('x'), Const(2))))]))
       
   582    >>> func = mod.node.nodes[0]
       
   583    >>> func.code
       
   584    Stmt([Return(Mul((Name('x'), Const(2))))])
       
   585 
       
   586 
       
   587 Using Visitors to Walk ASTs
       
   588 ===========================
       
   589 
       
   590 .. module:: compiler.visitor
       
   591 
       
   592 
       
   593 The visitor pattern is ...  The :mod:`compiler` package uses a variant on the
       
   594 visitor pattern that takes advantage of Python's introspection features to
       
   595 eliminate the need for much of the visitor's infrastructure.
       
   596 
       
   597 The classes being visited do not need to be programmed to accept visitors.  The
       
   598 visitor need only define visit methods for classes it is specifically interested
       
   599 in; a default visit method can handle the rest.
       
   600 
       
   601 XXX The magic :meth:`visit` method for visitors.
       
   602 
       
   603 
       
   604 .. function:: walk(tree, visitor[, verbose])
       
   605 
       
   606 
       
   607 .. class:: ASTVisitor()
       
   608 
       
   609    The :class:`ASTVisitor` is responsible for walking over the tree in the correct
       
   610    order.  A walk begins with a call to :meth:`preorder`.  For each node, it checks
       
   611    the *visitor* argument to :meth:`preorder` for a method named 'visitNodeType,'
       
   612    where NodeType is the name of the node's class, e.g. for a :class:`While` node a
       
   613    :meth:`visitWhile` would be called.  If the method exists, it is called with the
       
   614    node as its first argument.
       
   615 
       
   616    The visitor method for a particular node type can control how child nodes are
       
   617    visited during the walk.  The :class:`ASTVisitor` modifies the visitor argument
       
   618    by adding a visit method to the visitor; this method can be used to visit a
       
   619    particular child node.  If no visitor is found for a particular node type, the
       
   620    :meth:`default` method is called.
       
   621 
       
   622    :class:`ASTVisitor` objects have the following methods:
       
   623 
       
   624    XXX describe extra arguments
       
   625 
       
   626 
       
   627    .. method:: default(node[, ...])
       
   628 
       
   629 
       
   630    .. method:: dispatch(node[, ...])
       
   631 
       
   632 
       
   633    .. method:: preorder(tree, visitor)
       
   634 
       
   635 
       
   636 Bytecode Generation
       
   637 ===================
       
   638 
       
   639 The code generator is a visitor that emits bytecodes.  Each visit method can
       
   640 call the :meth:`emit` method to emit a new bytecode.  The basic code generator
       
   641 is specialized for modules, classes, and functions.  An assembler converts that
       
   642 emitted instructions to the low-level bytecode format.  It handles things like
       
   643 generation of constant lists of code objects and calculation of jump offsets.
       
   644