First-Contact Map¶

Concept Position¶

flowchart TD
  family["Python Programming"] --> program["Python Metaprogramming"]
  program --> module["Module 00: Orientation and Study Practice"]
  module --> concept["First-Contact Map"]
  concept --> capstone["Capstone pressure point"]

flowchart TD
  question["Start with the first honest runtime question"] --> module1["Module 01"]
  module1 --> module2["Module 02"]
  module2 --> module3["Module 03"]
  module3 --> capstone["Inspect the matching capstone surface"]
  capstone --> readiness["Decide whether you are ready for wrappers"]

Read the first diagram as a placement map: this page is one concept inside its parent module, not a detached essay, and the capstone is the pressure test for whether the idea holds. Read the second diagram as the working rhythm for the page: move through the first three modules in order, then check the capstone before advancing to behavior-changing hooks.

Use this map when you are starting the course or refreshing the foundations. These modules define the vocabulary and runtime evidence standards that the rest of the course assumes.

Module 01: Runtime Objects and the Python Object Model¶

Theme: understand what Python functions, classes, modules, and instances actually are at runtime.

functions as runtime objects with code, globals, and closures
classes as runtime objects with attribute lookup and method binding
modules as runtime objects with namespace identity and reload caveats
instances as runtime objects with __dict__, __slots__, and lookup behavior

Capstone check: inspect the public manifest surface and describe one runtime object in src/incident_plugins/ without calling business logic.

Module 02: Safe Runtime Observation and Inspection¶

Theme: learn how to inspect runtime structure without accidentally executing the thing you are trying to observe.

visible names versus stored state versus resolved values
attribute-access risk boundaries
type and instance classification
callability and why observation is not automatically passive

Capstone check: run make manifest or make registry and explain which facts stayed observable without invocation.

Module 03: Signatures, Provenance, and Runtime Evidence¶

Theme: turn observation into evidence strong enough for tools, review, and wrapper design.

inspect.signature and argument binding
provenance helpers and their limits
dynamic versus static member enumeration
frame and stack inspection as diagnostics only

Capstone check: inspect action signatures and manifest data before reading wrapper code.

How to know you are ready for Module 04¶

You are ready to move into wrappers when you can explain:

what exists at runtime before any decorator or descriptor changes behavior
which inspection tools are observational and which may execute user code
what evidence about a callable or object is strong enough to trust in review