在python中，使用点表示法访问类属性的正确命名是什么？

Question

This is semantics question, I'm writing a tutorial for a module that I hacked together for my lab and I would like to know if there is a correct term for accessing a class attribute by using dot notation. For example:

class funzo:
    def __init__(self,string):
        self.attribute = string
fun = funzo("Sweet sweet data")
fun.attribute

Now one can access the string by ??? the object named fun.

I've been using the term 'dot referencing' but that seems wrong. I googled around and checked the python glossary but I can't seem to find anything.

Answer 1

Attribute Access, this is from the language reference section on customizing it :

The following methods can be defined to customize the meaning of attribute access (use of, assignment to, or deletion of x.name ) for class instances.

^{(emphasis mine)}

So your quote could be better worded as:

Now, one can access the attribute attribute by using dotted expressions on the instance named fun .

Where the term dotted expressions is found from the entry on 'attribute' in the Python Glossary .

Another choice employed in the docs as an alternative to dotted expressions is, as in your title, dot-notation . This is found in the Callables section of the Standard Type Hierarchy , so another option you could consider is:

Now, one can access the attribute attribute using dot-notation on the instance named fun .

Both are, in my opinion, completely understandable if someone has at least some experience in programming languages. I prefer the term dot-notation and as such, would use the later.