:mod:builtins --- Built-in objects

.. module:: builtins :synopsis: The module that provides the built-in namespace.

This module provides direct access to all 'built-in' identifiers of Python; for example, builtins.open is the full name for the built-in function :func:open. See :ref:built-in-funcs and :ref:built-in-consts for documentation.

This module is not normally accessed explicitly by most applications, but can be useful in modules that provide objects with the same name as a built-in value, but in which the built-in of that name is also needed. For example, in a module that wants to implement an :func:open function that wraps the built-in :func:open, this module can be used directly::

import builtins

def open(path): f = builtins.open(path, 'r') return UpperCaser(f)

class UpperCaser: '''Wrapper around a file that converts output to upper-case.'''

   def __init__(self, f):
       self._f = f

   def read(self, count=-1):
       return self._f.read(count).upper()

   # ...

As an implementation detail, most modules have the name __builtins__ made available as part of their globals. The value of __builtins__ is normally either this module or the value of this module's :attr:~object.__dict__ attribute. Since this is an implementation detail, it may not be used by alternate implementations of Python.