Python COM iterator

[Larry Bates]

Does anyone know if there is a way to make a Python COM object
act like a proper iterator in VB/Delphi?

Example:

Python COM object

class foo:
_public_methods _=['next']

def __init__(self):
self.numbers=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]

def next(self):
try: return self.numbers.po p(0)
except IndexError:
#
# Normally in Python I would do this, but that raises a
# COMexception when used in a COM object.
#
raise StopIteration

def __iter__(self):
return self


I want to be able to write something like (VB):

oFOO=foo()
for each n in oFOO
'
' Do something with n
'
next

Seems like there should be a way. Hope explanation is clear enough.

Regards, Larry

[Carsten Haese]

Re: Python COM iterator

On Tue, 2007-04-17 at 16:54 -0500, Larry Bates wrote:

Does anyone know if there is a way to make a Python COM object
act like a proper iterator in VB/Delphi?

I don't use COM, VB, or Delphi, but Google turned up these two
references:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...ingForEach.asp http://17slon.com/blogs/gabr/2007/03...rs-part-1.html

Judging from those links, an object is iterable in VB and Delphi (or as
they call it, it is enumerable) if it exposes a GetEnumerator method
that returns an enumerator. The enumerator in turn needs to expose a
MoveNext method and a Current property.

Assuming that the Enumerable and the Enumerator are allowed to be the
same object, you'll probably need code that looks something like this:

class foo:
_public_methods _=['GetEnumerator' ,'MoveNext']
# You'll need to figure out how to expose "self.Curre nt"

def __init__(self):
self.numbers=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
self.Current = None

def MoveNext(self):
try:
self.Current = self.numbers.po p(0)
return True
except IndexError:
return False

def GetEnumerator(s elf):
return self

Good luck,

Carsten.

[Larry Bates]

Re: Python COM iterator

Carsten Haese wrote:

On Tue, 2007-04-17 at 16:54 -0500, Larry Bates wrote:

>Does anyone know if there is a way to make a Python COM object
>act like a proper iterator in VB/Delphi?

>
I don't use COM, VB, or Delphi, but Google turned up these two
references:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...ingForEach.asp http://17slon.com/blogs/gabr/2007/03...rs-part-1.html
>
Judging from those links, an object is iterable in VB and Delphi (or as
they call it, it is enumerable) if it exposes a GetEnumerator method
that returns an enumerator. The enumerator in turn needs to expose a
MoveNext method and a Current property.
>
Assuming that the Enumerable and the Enumerator are allowed to be the
same object, you'll probably need code that looks something like this:
>
class foo:
_public_methods _=['GetEnumerator' ,'MoveNext']
# You'll need to figure out how to expose "self.Curre nt"
>
def __init__(self):
self.numbers=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
self.Current = None
>
def MoveNext(self):
try:
self.Current = self.numbers.po p(0)
return True
except IndexError:
return False
>
def GetEnumerator(s elf):
return self
>
Good luck,
>
Carsten.
>
>

I looked over the links and what you have proposed seems to make sense, but
I can't make it work. I have the following class defined and registered.

class foo:

_public_methods _=['GetEnumerator' ,'MoveNext']
_public_attrs_=['Current']
_reg_clsid_='{F C2A0E7B-E428-4414-B1C4-60373BB12102}'
_reg_progid_="S yscon.foo"

def __init__(self):
self.numbers=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
self.Current = None

def MoveNext(self):
try:
self.Current = self.numbers.po p(0)
rtnval=True

except IndexError:
self.Current=No ne
rtnval=False

def GetEnumerator(s elf):
return self


Then I do:

>>import win32com.client
>>typelib='Sysc on.foo'
>>F=win32com.cl ient.Dispatch(t ypelib)
>>for x in F:

.... print x
....
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<interacti ve input>", line 1, in <module>
File "C:\Python25\li b\site-packages\win32c om\client\dynam ic.py", line 228, in
__getitem__
raise TypeError, "This object does not support enumeration"
TypeError: This object does not support enumeration

>>>

but this works fine:

>>F.MoveNext( )
>>F.Current

1

>>F.MoveNext( )
>>F.Current

2

>>>

I'm stumped.

-Larry

[Carsten Haese]

Re: Python COM iterator

>[...]

On Tue, 2007-04-17 at 16:54 -0500, Larry Bates wrote:

Does anyone know if there is a way to make a Python COM object
act like a proper iterator in VB/Delphi?

>[...]

After more googling, staring at win32com's code, and a fair bit of trial
and error, I've come up with the following working example:

# server.py
import pythoncom

class HelloWorld:
_reg_clsid_ = "{CAB8BED1-9174-4AAD-ABC5-F377951CB71B}"
_reg_desc_ = "Python Test COM Server"
_reg_progid_ = "Python.TestSer ver"
_public_methods _ = ['Next']
_com_interfaces _ = [pythoncom.IID_I EnumVARIANT]

def __init__(self):
self.numbers=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]

def Next(self, count):
assert count==1
try:
return (self.numbers.p op(0),)
except IndexError:
return ()

def _NewEnum(self):
import win32com.server .util
return win32com.server .util.wrap(self )

if __name__=='__ma in__':
import win32com.server .register
win32com.server .register.UseCo mmandLine(Hello World)

# client.py
import win32com.client
comobj = win32com.client .Dispatch("Pyth on.TestServer")
for x in comobj:
print x

This works for me on Python 2.5 and pywin32 Build 210, but I don't know
whether clients in VB or Delphi are able to use this iterator.

-Carsten

[Larry Bates]

Re: Python COM iterator

Carsten Haese wrote:

>[...]

>>On Tue, 2007-04-17 at 16:54 -0500, Larry Bates wrote:
>>>Does anyone know if there is a way to make a Python COM object
>>>act like a proper iterator in VB/Delphi?

>[...]

>
After more googling, staring at win32com's code, and a fair bit of trial
and error, I've come up with the following working example:
>
# server.py
import pythoncom
>
class HelloWorld:
_reg_clsid_ = "{CAB8BED1-9174-4AAD-ABC5-F377951CB71B}"
_reg_desc_ = "Python Test COM Server"
_reg_progid_ = "Python.TestSer ver"
_public_methods _ = ['Next']
_com_interfaces _ = [pythoncom.IID_I EnumVARIANT]
>
def __init__(self):
self.numbers=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
>
def Next(self, count):
assert count==1
try:
return (self.numbers.p op(0),)
except IndexError:
return ()
>
def _NewEnum(self):
import win32com.server .util
return win32com.server .util.wrap(self )
>
if __name__=='__ma in__':
import win32com.server .register
win32com.server .register.UseCo mmandLine(Hello World)
>
# client.py
import win32com.client
comobj = win32com.client .Dispatch("Pyth on.TestServer")
for x in comobj:
print x
>
This works for me on Python 2.5 and pywin32 Build 210, but I don't know
whether clients in VB or Delphi are able to use this iterator.
>
-Carsten
>
>

I tested in VB and by golly it works! What is odd is that this looks
NOTHING like what we got from the docs earlier. No GetEnumerator
method, no MoveNext method. I'm glad it works, but I'm a little
puzzled as to why it works.

Thanks loads.

-Larry

[Larry Bates]

Re: Python COM iterator

Carsten Haese wrote:

>[...]

>>On Tue, 2007-04-17 at 16:54 -0500, Larry Bates wrote:
>>>Does anyone know if there is a way to make a Python COM object
>>>act like a proper iterator in VB/Delphi?

>[...]

>
After more googling, staring at win32com's code, and a fair bit of trial
and error, I've come up with the following working example:
>
# server.py
import pythoncom
>
class HelloWorld:
_reg_clsid_ = "{CAB8BED1-9174-4AAD-ABC5-F377951CB71B}"
_reg_desc_ = "Python Test COM Server"
_reg_progid_ = "Python.TestSer ver"
_public_methods _ = ['Next']
_com_interfaces _ = [pythoncom.IID_I EnumVARIANT]
>
def __init__(self):
self.numbers=[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
>
def Next(self, count):
assert count==1
try:
return (self.numbers.p op(0),)
except IndexError:
return ()
>
def _NewEnum(self):
import win32com.server .util
return win32com.server .util.wrap(self )
>
if __name__=='__ma in__':
import win32com.server .register
win32com.server .register.UseCo mmandLine(Hello World)
>
# client.py
import win32com.client
comobj = win32com.client .Dispatch("Pyth on.TestServer")
for x in comobj:
print x
>
This works for me on Python 2.5 and pywin32 Build 210, but I don't know
whether clients in VB or Delphi are able to use this iterator.
>
-Carsten
>
>

I tested in VB and by golly it works! What is odd is that this looks
NOTHING like what we got from the docs earlier. No GetEnumerator
method, no MoveNext method. I'm glad it works, but I'm a little
puzzled as to why it works.

Thanks loads.

-Larry

[Steve Holden]

Re: Python COM iterator

Larry Bates wrote:

Carsten Haese wrote:

[iterative acess to COM objects]

I tested in VB and by golly it works! What is odd is that this looks
NOTHING like what we got from the docs earlier. No GetEnumerator
method, no MoveNext method. I'm glad it works, but I'm a little
puzzled as to why it works.
>

Presumably the magic of mark Hammond's wrapper classes providing
adaptation between Python iteration and COM enumerable collection
objects. win32all is *very* Pythonic.

Jim Hugunin, the author of IronPython (and of J[P]ython before that) has
commented that Microsoft users are frequently surprised by the small
amount of code required in IronPython to manipulate .NET objects.

regards
Steve
--
Steve Holden +44 150 684 7255 +1 800 494 3119
Holden Web LLC/Ltd http://www.holdenweb.com
Skype: holdenweb http://del.icio.us/steve.holden
Recent Ramblings http://holdenweb.blogspot.com

[Carsten Haese]

Re: Python COM iterator

On Thu, 2007-04-19 at 12:49 -0400, Steve Holden wrote:

Larry Bates wrote:

Carsten Haese wrote:

[iterative acess to COM objects]

I tested in VB and by golly it works! What is odd is that this looks
NOTHING like what we got from the docs earlier. No GetEnumerator
method, no MoveNext method. I'm glad it works, but I'm a little
puzzled as to why it works.

I'm glad, too.

Presumably the magic of mark Hammond's wrapper classes providing
adaptation between Python iteration and COM enumerable collection
objects. win32all is *very* Pythonic.

There is some magic, but it appears to be on the client side only. This
magic is what allows you to stick the win32com.client .Dispatcher object
into a for-loop.

If there were magic on the server side, it shouldn't be necessary to
declare that IID_IEnumVARIAN T is exposed, and it shouldn't be necessary
to implement the _NewEnum and Next methods; it should be enough to have
__iter__ present and let the magic take care of the rest.

It appears that the reason why my first completely uninformed guess
didn't work and my second somewhat less uninformed guess did work is
that there are two different enumeration protocols in the wonderfully
confusing world of Win32. I'm guessing that GetEnumerator/MoveNext is
the .NET enumeration protocol and IID_IEnumVARIAN T/Next is the COM
enumeration protocol.

-Carsten

[Ross Ridge]

Re: Python COM iterator

Larry Bates wrote:

I tested in VB and by golly it works! What is odd is that this looks
NOTHING like what we got from the docs earlier. No GetEnumerator
method, no MoveNext method. I'm glad it works, but I'm a little
puzzled as to why it works.

The documention Carsten Haese referenced earlier was for the .NET version
of VisualBasic, and shows how to use .NET's IEnumerate and IEnumerable
interfaces.

Steve Holden <steve@holdenwe b.comwrote:

>Presumably the magic of mark Hammond's wrapper classes providing
>adaptation between Python iteration and COM enumerable collection
>objects. win32all is *very* Pythonic.

Maybe Mark Hammond's win32all provides such a magic wrapper, but Cartsen
Haese's example didn't use it. Instead it provided it own implementation
of the COM IEnumVARIANT interface, the OLE Automation (ie. VisualBasic
6 compatable) way implementing iteratable objects.

Ross Ridge

--
l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo] rridge@csclub.u waterloo.ca
-()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/~rridge/
db //

[Steve Holden]

Re: Python COM iterator

Ross Ridge wrote:

Larry Bates wrote:

>I tested in VB and by golly it works! What is odd is that this looks
>NOTHING like what we got from the docs earlier. No GetEnumerator
>method, no MoveNext method. I'm glad it works, but I'm a little
>puzzled as to why it works.

>
The documention Carsten Haese referenced earlier was for the .NET version
of VisualBasic, and shows how to use .NET's IEnumerate and IEnumerable
interfaces.
>
Steve Holden <steve@holdenwe b.comwrote:

>Presumably the magic of mark Hammond's wrapper classes providing
>adaptation between Python iteration and COM enumerable collection
>objects. win32all is *very* Pythonic.

>
Maybe Mark Hammond's win32all provides such a magic wrapper, but Cartsen
Haese's example didn't use it. Instead it provided it own implementation
of the COM IEnumVARIANT interface, the OLE Automation (ie. VisualBasic
6 compatable) way implementing iteratable objects.
>
Ross Ridge
>

So I saw when I read Carsten's reply to my post. Thanks. It's the
difference between COM and .NET (something I am currently having to come
to terms with myself, but strangely in C# rather than Python).

regards
Steve
--
Steve Holden +44 150 684 7255 +1 800 494 3119
Holden Web LLC/Ltd http://www.holdenweb.com
Skype: holdenweb http://del.icio.us/steve.holden
Recent Ramblings http://holdenweb.blogspot.com