swarms/docs/swarms/utils/print_class_parameters.md

print_class_parameters

Module Function Name: print_class_parameters

The print_class_parameters function is a utility function developed to help developers and users alike in retrieving and printing the parameters of a class constructor in Python, either in standard output or returned as a dictionary if the api_format is set to True.

This utility function utilizes the inspect module to fetch the signature of the class constructor and fetches the parameters from the obtained signature. The parameter values and their respective types are then outputted.

This function allows developers to easily inspect and understand the class' constructor parameters without the need to individually go through the class structure. This eases the testing and debugging process for developers and users alike, aiding in generating more efficient and readable code.

Function Definition:

def print_class_parameters(cls, api_format: bool = False):

Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description	Default value
cls	type	The Python class to inspect.	None
api_format	bool	Flag to determine if the output should be returned in dictionary format (if set to True) or printed out (if set to False)	False

Functionality and Usage:

Inside the print_class_parameters function, it starts by getting the signature of the constructor of the inputted class by invoking inspect.signature(cls.__init__). It then extracts the parameters from the signature and stores it in the params variable.

If the api_format argument is set to True, instead of printing the parameters and their types, it stores them inside a dictionary where each key-value pair is a parameter name and its type. It then returns this dictionary.

If api_format is set to False or not set at all (defaulting to False), the function iterates over the parameters and prints the parameter name and its type. "self" parameters are excluded from the output as they are inherent to all class methods in Python.

A possible exception that may occur during the execution of this function is during the invocation of the inspect.signature() function call. If the inputted class does not have an __init__ method or any error occurs during the retrieval of the class constructor's signature, an exception will be triggered. In that case, an error message that includes the error details is printed out.

Usage and Examples:

Assuming the existence of a class:

class Agent:
    def __init__(self, x: int, y: int):
        self.x = x
        self.y = y

One could use print_class_parameters in its typical usage:

print_class_parameters(Agent)

Results in:

Parameter: x, Type: <class 'int'>
Parameter: y, Type: <class 'int'>

Or, with api_format set to True

output = print_class_parameters(Agent, api_format=True)
print(output)

Results in:

{'x': "<class 'int'>", 'y': "<class 'int'>"}

Note:

The function print_class_parameters is not limited to custom classes. It can inspect built-in Python classes such as list, dict, and others. However, it is most useful when inspecting custom-defined classes that aren't inherently documented in Python or third-party libraries.

Source Code

def print_class_parameters(cls, api_format: bool = False):
    """
    Print the parameters of a class constructor.

    Parameters:
    cls (type): The class to inspect.

    Example:
    >>> print_class_parameters(Agent)
    Parameter: x, Type: <class 'int'>
    Parameter: y, Type: <class 'int'>
    """
    try:
        # Get the parameters of the class constructor
        sig = inspect.signature(cls.__init__)
        params = sig.parameters

        if api_format:
            param_dict = {}
            for name, param in params.items():
                if name == "self":
                    continue
                param_dict[name] = str(param.annotation)
            return param_dict

        # Print the parameters
        for name, param in params.items():
            if name == "self":
                continue
            print(f"Parameter: {name}, Type: {param.annotation}")

    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred while inspecting the class: {e}")