Python Ast
The official documentation for the ast module is good but somewhat brief.
Python ast. Strings bytes numbers tuples lists dicts sets booleans none bytes and sets. So consider for example. An ast is a collection of nodes which are linked together based on the grammar of the python language. The ast module helps python applications to process trees of the python abstract syntax grammar.
We will understand this in detail in the coming sections. That opens up a world of possibilities for introspection testing and mischief. Safely evaluate an expression node or a string containing a python literal or container display. Dont worry if that made no sense now since well shine more light on it momentarily.
A generic ast to represent python2 and python3s abstract syntax tree ast. You can write programs that inspect and modify python code after the syntax has been parsed but before it gets compiled to byte code. This class is available in the ast module from python 36 but it isnt produced by parsing code until python 38. This module helps to find out programmatically what the current grammar looks like.
Kind is u for strings with a u prefix and none otherwise allowing tools to distinguish ua from a. Changed in version 38. Python is an object orientated language and as such it uses classes to define data types including its primitive types. This module helps to find out programmatically what the current grammar looks like.
The latter again in its implementation in class ast itself just calls selfvisit on every child node and performs no other action. Casting in python is therefore done using constructor functions. The string or node provided may only consist of the following python literal structures. With the python ast module we can do a lot of things like modifying python code and inspect it.
The ast module helps python applications to process trees of the python abstract syntax grammar. The abstract syntax itself might change with each python release. Int constructs an integer number from an integer literal a float literal by rounding down to the previous whole number or a string literal providing the string represents a whole number. Astvisit unless you override it in a subclass of course when called to visit an astnode of class foo calls selfvisitfoo if that method exists otherwise selfgenericvisit.
Gast provides a compatibility layer between the ast of various python versions as produced by astparse from the standard ast module. The code can be parsed and modified before it is compiled to bytecode form. Abstract syntax trees asts are a powerful feature of python. The kind field was added.