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Module Glossary

Page Maps

graph LR
  family["Python Programming"]
  program["Python Meta-Programming"]
  section["Runtime Observation Inspection"]
  page["Module Glossary"]
  capstone["Capstone evidence"]

  family --> program --> section --> page
  page -.applies in.-> capstone
flowchart LR
  orient["Orient on the page map"] --> read["Read the main claim and examples"]
  read --> inspect["Inspect the related code, proof, or capstone surface"]
  inspect --> verify["Run or review the verification path"]
  verify --> apply["Apply the idea back to the module and capstone"]

This glossary belongs to Module 02: Safe Runtime Observation and Inspection in Python Metaprogramming. It keeps the language of this directory stable so the same ideas keep the same names across lessons, practice, and capstone discussion.

How to use this glossary

Use the glossary when a discussion starts to blur together discovery, storage, lookup, and execution. Module 02 is meant to replace vague phrases like "I just inspected it" with explicit observation language.

Terms in this directory

Term Meaning in this directory
Attribute protocol The runtime machinery behind attribute access, including __getattribute__, descriptors, and __getattr__.
Best-effort discovery The fact that dir(obj) is a discovery aid rather than a complete contract about what lookup can resolve.
Call protocol The runtime behavior that makes an object callable. It depends on the object's type-level support for invocation.
Callable object Any object for which callable(obj) is true, including functions, classes, bound methods, and callable instances.
Diagnostic execution risk The risk that a debugging or inspection tool runs business behavior while trying to observe runtime structure.
Dynamic lookup Normal attribute resolution through getattr(obj, name) or dot syntax, which may execute descriptors and lookup hooks.
Exact type check A check such as type(obj) is T that rejects subclasses and asks for one concrete runtime type.
Polymorphic type check A check such as isinstance(obj, T) that accepts objects through subclass or ABC relationships.
Static lookup Observation through inspect.getattr_static, which inspects the attached attribute object without normal protocol execution.
Stored state The state physically stored on the object, usually through __dict__ or slot-backed storage.
Visible names Candidate attribute names discovered through a tool like dir(obj).
__dict__-backed state Per-object storage represented by an attribute dictionary.
__slots__ A class declaration that gives instances a fixed storage layout and often removes the default instance dictionary.
dir(obj) A best-effort name discovery tool that may draw from instance, class, MRO, and custom __dir__ behavior.
getattr(obj, name) Dynamic attribute access that runs the normal lookup protocol and may execute code.
getattr(obj, name, default) ambiguity The fact that a default result can blur together a truly missing attribute and an internal AttributeError raised during lookup.
hasattr(obj, name) A convenience wrapper around dynamic lookup that treats AttributeError as absence and therefore can still execute code.
inspect.getattr_static A tooling-oriented lookup function that returns the raw attached attribute object without normal dynamic resolution.
isinstance(obj, T) A polymorphic runtime classification check for objects.
issubclass(C, T) A polymorphic runtime classification check for class relationships.
mappingproxy A read-only view of a class namespace, commonly exposed through cls.__dict__ on CPython.
type(obj) The exact runtime class of an object.
Value resolution The act of asking what ordinary runtime lookup would produce, not just what names or stored state are present.

Keep the module connected