Advanced Python 3 Programming Techniques

Chapter 4. Dynamic Code Execution

There are some occasions when it is easier to write a piece of code that generates the code we need than to write the needed code directly. And in some contexts it is useful to let users enter code (e.g., functions in a spreadsheet), and to let Python execute the entered code for us rather than to write a parser and handle it ourselves—although executing arbitrary code like this is a potential security risk, of course. Another use case for dynamic code execution is to provide plug-ins to extend a program’s functionality. Using plug-ins has the disadvantage that all the necessary functionality is not built into the program (which can make the program more difficult to deploy and runs the risk of plug-ins ...