What do empty braces mean in Python? [closed]

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Closed 9 years ago.

Please have a look at this snippet:

import xlrd,spss
from xlrd import open_workbook
wb=open_workbook('C:/temp/testbook.xls')
sheetnames=[]
for s in wb.sheets():
   sheetnames.append(s.name)

Why should I write "wb.sheets()" instead of "wb.sheets"? And why is it "s.name" instead of "s.name()"?

I often use empty braces when I'm not supposed to and the other way around. Could anybody tell me what they mean and when I should (not) use them?

Answer 1

The () are necessary when the attribute (sheets) is a function you with to call. The () should not be used when the attribute is a value want to use directly rather than make a call on.