:mod:`typetools` --- Utilities for working with Python types
============================================================

.. module:: typetools
   :synopsis: Utilities for working with Python types and classes
.. moduleauthor:: Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan@gmail.com>
.. sectionauthor:: Nick Coghlan <ncoghlan@gmail.com>


.. versionadded:: 2.6

This module provides utilities for working with and
defining Python type objects (instances of the builtin metaclass
:class:`type`). The utilities provided by this module may be
useful regardless of whether the type instances are defined in
Python code using a normal :statement:`class` statement or as part
of an extension module.

The :mod:`typetools` module currently defines a single utility class:

.. class:: ProxyMixin(target)

   A proxy class that ensures all special method invocations which may
   otherwise bypass the normal :method:`__getattribute__` lookup
   process are correctly delegated to the specified target object.
   Normal attribute manipulation operations are also delegated to the
   specified target object.

   All operations on a :class:`ProxyMixin` instance return an unproxied
   result. Operations involving multiple :class:`ProxyMixin` instances
   (e.g. addition) are permitted, and endeavour to return the same
   result as would be calculated if the proxy objects were not involved.

   Custom proxy class implementations may inherit from this class
   in order to automatically delegate all such special methods
   that the custom proxy class does not need to provide special
   handling for. This may not be practical for more complex
   delegation scenarios (e.g. a local interface to a remote
   object, or delegating to a weakly referenced target as in
   :code:`weakref.proxy`), but :class:`ProxyMixin` may still be used
   as a reference when developing such classes to identify which
   methods must be defined explicitly on the proxy type in order for
   them to be delegated correctly by the Python interpreter.