AttriBox - Python Descriptors the Easy Way

Installation

Install AttriBox easily with pip:

pip install attribox

Quick Start

Imagine having nested custom classes with a requirement of descriptor protocol implementation. The AI advices you to rethink the design, before they present you with hundreds of lines of syntactic broccoli. Meanwhile, your friends are asking you what you are doing with your life. Well, the AttriBox is here to help!

class SomeGraphics:
  """Imagine you wish to encapsulate a graphical problem in a class. You 
  already have custom classes for the components, but now you wish you 
  had implemented them as descriptors, but of course descriptors are 
  unique to the class and not to the instance. The memories are coming. 
  With them tears begin to form. Never fear! AttriBox is here!"""

  fillColor = AttriBox[RGB](144, 255, 0)
  borderColor = AttriBox[RGB](0, 0, 0)
  centeredDiv = AttriBox[GetRect](69, 420)

The above code implements the class attributes as descriptors. The AttriBox holds on to the class for you, until one of your instances invokes __get__ at which point AttriBox creates a dedicated specimen for just your instance.

A More Ambitious Example

Suppose you are designing a graphical user interface. You wish to use the descriptor protocol to expose the I/O communication directly to the user interface. You see all of those wonderful numbers over there on the robot or whatever, and you see those tempting 'set' methods on your descriptors.

class MainApp(QMainWindow):
  """The basic application window."""

  mainMenuBar = AttriBox[MenuBar](this)  # yes, 'this' is a thing
  mainStatusBar = AttriBox[StatusBar](this)  # fr

  baseLayout = AttriBox[Grid]()
  baseWidget = AttriBox[QWidget]()
  indicator = AttriBox[Indicator]()
  button = AttriBox[Button]()
  slider = AttriBox[Slider]()

  def initUi(self) -> None:
    """Initializes the user interface."""
    self.baseLayout.addWidget(self.indicator, 0, 0)
    self.baseLayout.addWidget(self.button, 1, 0)
    self.baseLayout.addWidget(self.slider, 2, 0)
    self.baseWidget.setLayout(self.baseLayout)
    self.setCentralWidget(self.baseWidget)
    self.setMenuBar(self.mainMenuBar)
    self.setStatusBar(self.mainStatusBar)

  def connectSignals(self) -> None:
    """Connects the signals to the slots."""
    self.button.clicked.connect(self.indicator.toggle)
    self.slider.valueChanged.connect(self.indicator.setValue)
    self.slider.valueChanged.connect(self.mainStatusBar.setValue)