[Pyobjc-dev] TypeError: cannot change a method

[Daniel M. <mil...@gm...>]

My testing framework for the app I've been developing (previously with  
PyObjC 1.4, now attempting to migrate to PyObjC 2) is giving lots of  
errors due to a restriction in PyObjC 2 that methods cannot be  
overwritten [0]. My testing framework mocks Cocoa API calls to verify  
that the calls are being made as expected without actually hitting  
Cocoa (which would cause all sorts of unwanted side-affects). My first  
question is about circumventing this read-only method restriction for  
my tests. Is it possible to (temporarily?) make PyObjC methods  
writable? Maybe through some hack that would only be activated as a  
pre-test setup task, allowing me to overwrite methods just during the  
testing phase?

My second question is why such a restriction has been added? I'm not  
trying to start a flame war here, so please don't get that idea.  
Python is generally very liberal in what it allows one to do, even  
potentially damaging things such as shooting ones self in the foot:

"Python culture tends towards "we're all consenting adults here". If you
attempt to shoot yourself in the foot, you should get some kind of
warning that perhaps it is not what you really want to do, but if you
insist, hey, go ahead, it's your foot!" [1]

"...this is Python, where we vigorously defend the right to shoot  
ourselves in the foot." [2]

  Is there any particular technical reason why PyObjC tries harder- 
than-normal-for-Python to protect me from doing things that most  
people probably do not want to do? Thanks in advance for taking time  
to answer my questions.

~ Daniel

[0] http://www.mail-archive.com/mat...@li.../msg05035.html
[1] http://mail.python.org/pipermail/tutor/2006-December/051569.html
[2] http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/python/python/753888#753888