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In Python the dict object has a "pop" method which returns and removes a key from a dict, with an optional default if the key doesn't exist.
What is the best way to do this for general object attributes?
I'm thinking:
my_obj.__dict__.pop('key_name', default)
Should be a good option but I'm worried that directly muting the object's dict might have unintended side effects that I'm not aware of. Is there a better option?
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The pop() method removes the specified item from the dictionary. The value of the removed item is the return value of the pop() method, see example below.
The "AttributeError: 'str' object has no attribute 'pop'" occurs when we try to call the pop() method on a string instead of a list. To solve the error, call the pop() method on a list or use the rsplit() method if you need to remove the last word from a string.
(for objects with a __dict__) "popping" an attribute is the same thing as popping it from the __dict__, and therefor your suggested implementation is correct.
EDIT: @Erik correctly pointed out that using __dict__.pop can raise a KeyError, where the apporpriate exception is an AttributeError. So a better implementation would add try/catch/reraise-as-AttributeError.
I would just point out that what you're trying to do is "popping" an attribute of an object, not a key.
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