Elements of Metaprogramming

Metaprogramming is a collection of programming techniques that focus on the ability of programs to introspect themselves, understand their own code, and modify themselves. Such an approach to programming gives programmers a lot of power and flexibility. Without metaprogramming techniques, we probably wouldn't have modern programming frameworks, or at least those frameworks would be way less expressive.

The term metaprogramming is often shrouded in an aura of mystery. Many programmers associate it almost exclusively with programs that can inspect and manipulate their own code at the source level. Programs manipulating their own source code are definitely one of the most striking and complex examples of applied metaprogramming, but metaprogramming takes many forms and doesn't always have to be complex nor hard. Python is especially rich in features and modules that make certain metaprogramming techniques simple and natural.

In this chapter...