<cut>
Thanks for the input folks!
I adapted my script to the given suggestions and it's now far more
'logical', for reference I added it below.
--
mph
----- script -----
> import string
> import time
>
> class IDGenerator(object):
> """(leading_id, subversion_length, tz) # tz = 'local' or 'gm' (default)
> Create an ID from a given string, a current datetimestamp and version
> number which wraps around at given subversion_length.
>
> Example usage:
> >>> id = IDGenerator('01',2)
> >>> id()
> '01_20060504_112304_1'
> >>> id()
> '01_20060504_112306_2'
> >>> id()
> '01_20060504_112307_1'
> >>>
> >>> id = IDGenerator(0005,99) # Note that an int will be cast to a string!
> >>> id()
> '5_20060504_112324_01'
> >>> id()
> '5_20060504_112327_02'
> >>> id
> <class '__main__.IDGenerator'> previous ID is 5_20060504_112324_01 and
> current ID is 5_20060504_112327_02
> >>>
>
> """
>
> def __init__(self,leading_id, subversion_length, timezone='gm'):
> self.id = str(leading_id)
> self.length = int(subversion_length)
> fill_length = len(str(self.length))
> self.current = None
> self.previous = None
>
> def fill(number):
> return(string.zfill(number,fill_length))
> self.fill = fill
>
> if timezone == 'local':
> self.timeset = time.localtime
> else:
> self.timeset = time.gmtime
>
>
> def __call__(self):
> # If the subversion length has been reached or the generator has not
> # been defined, (re)define it, otherwise return the next value of the
> # subversion.
> try:
> return_value = self.range_gen.next()
>
> except:
> self.range_gen = ( number for number in range(1,self.length+1) )
> return_value = self.range_gen.next()
>
> # Create the version stamp.
> return_value = self.id +\
> time.strftime("_%Y%m%d_%H%M%S_",self.timeset())+\
> self.fill(return_value)
>
> # Copy the current ID to the previous and assign a new one to current.
> self.previous = self.current
> self.current = return_value
>
> # And return it.
> return(self.current)
>
> def __repr__(self):
> return(str(self.__class__) +
> ' previous ID is ' +
> str(self.previous) +
> ' and current ID is ' +
> str(self.current))
----- script -----
--
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