What does “mro()” do?

Question

In django.utils.functional.py:

for t in type(res).mro():  # <----- this
    if t in self.__dispatch:
        return self.__dispatch[t][funcname](res, *args, **kw)

I don't understand mro(). What does it do and what does "mro" mean?

Answer 1

Follow along...:

>>> class A(object): pass
... 
>>> A.__mro__
(<class '__main__.A'>, <type 'object'>)
>>> class B(A): pass
... 
>>> B.__mro__
(<class '__main__.B'>, <class '__main__.A'>, <type 'object'>)
>>> class C(A): pass
... 
>>> C.__mro__
(<class '__main__.C'>, <class '__main__.A'>, <type 'object'>)
>>> 

As long as we have single inheritance, __mro__ is just the tuple of: the class, its base, its base's base, and so on up to object (only works for new-style classes of course).

Now, with multiple inheritance...:

>>> class D(B, C): pass
... 
>>> D.__mro__
(<class '__main__.D'>, <class '__main__.B'>, <class '__main__.C'>, <class '__main__.A'>, <type 'object'>)

...you also get the assurance that, in __mro__, no class is duplicated, and no class comes after its ancestors, save that classes that first enter at the same level of multiple inheritance (like B and C in this example) are in the __mro__ left to right.

Every attribute you get on a class's instance, not just methods, is conceptually looked up along the __mro__, so, if more than one class among the ancestors defines that name, this tells you where the attribute will be found -- in the first class in the __mro__ that defines that name.

Answer 2

mro() stands for Method Resolution Order. It returns a list of types the class is derived from, in the order they are searched for methods.

mro() or __mro__ works only on new style classes. In python 3, they work without any issues. But in python 2 those classes need to inherit from objects.

Answer 3

This would perhaps show the order of resolution.

class A(object):
    def dothis(self):
        print('I am from A class')

class B(A):
    pass

class C(object):
    def dothis(self):
        print('I am from C class')

class D(B, C):
    pass

d_instance= D()
d_instance.dothis()
print(D.mro())

and response would be

I am from A class
[<class '__main__.D'>, <class '__main__.B'>, <class '__main__.A'>, <class '__main__.C'>, <class 'object'>]

The rule is depth-first, which in this case would mean D, B, A, C.

Python normally uses a depth-first order when searching inheriting classes, but when two classes inherit from the same class, Python removes the first mention of that class from mro.

Answer 4

Order of resolution will be different in diamond inheritance.

class A(object):
    def dothis(self):
        print('I am from A class')


class B1(A):
    def dothis(self):
        print('I am from B1 class')
    # pass


class B2(object):
    def dothis(self):
        print('I am from B2 class')
    # pass


class B3(A):
    def dothis(self):
        print('I am from B3 class')


# Diamond inheritance
class D1(B1, B3):
    pass


class D2(B1, B2):
    pass


d1_instance = D1()
d1_instance.dothis()
# I am from B1 class
print(D1.__mro__)
# (<class '__main__.D1'>, <class '__main__.B1'>, <class '__main__.B3'>, <class '__main__.A'>, <class 'object'>)


d2_instance = D2()
d2_instance.dothis()
# I am from B1 class
print(D2.__mro__)
# (<class '__main__.D2'>, <class '__main__.B1'>, <class '__main__.A'>, <class '__main__.B2'>, <class 'object'>)