getattr is a Python built-in function used to access a named attribute on an object.
The function's schematics are as follows:
getattr(object:object, name:str[, default:object]) -> value
where object is the object, name is the named attribute, and default, if supplied, is the default value to return if the attribute can not be found. If default is not supplied and the object can not be found, an AttributeError is thrown.
Below is a demonstration of the function's features:
>>> class Test:
... def __init__(self):
... self.attr = 1
...
>>> myTest = Test()
>>> getattr(myTest, 'attr')
1
>>> getattr(myTest, 'attr2', 'No attribute by that name')
'No attribute by that name'
>>> getattr(myTest, 'attr2')
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
AttributeError: Test instance has no attribute 'attr2'
>>>