How to write a Python function that takes in a "Mode" as an argument?

Question

I am currently writing a color palette generator in Python. I would like to be able to input a Mode as an argument that will produce a specific type of color scheme. Like COMPLEMENTARY or PASTEL etc.

I have seen functions like colorMode(HSB) vs. colorMode(RGB) where one of the arguments is a "Mode". I have seen this many times before, they usually are all caps and the IDE usually color codes them in some way. How are these Modes usually stored within the function? Are they color coded because they are some kind of class? Or are they stored as a string or number?

Sorry if a question like this already exists, I just have no idea what type of jargon to use to describe this scenario.

What do you mean color coded? IDEs color code most atoms, including variable names. — palivek
– palivek, Commented Mar 13, 2018 at 16:03

Kevin Workman · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-13 18:29:59Z

The other answers are correct for general development, but since you've tagged this with processing, I'll explain how Processing does it.

Processing (and Processing.py) does not use enum values for this. It just uses int values.

In Java (regular Processing), there are just a bunch of int variables defined. That happens here, but it basically looks like this:

int RGB = 1; int ARGB = 2; int HSB = 3;

So whenever you use one of the variables, you're just refering to these values.

colorMode(HSB);

This does the same thing as if you had typed:

colorMode(3);

Then inside the colorMode() function, Processing does something like this:

void colorMode(int mode){ if(mode == RGB){ // do something } else if(mode == HSB){ // do something else } }

I'm using Java as an example because I have more familiarity with it, but note that this is all explained in the Processing.py reference here:

mode int: Either RGB or HSB, corresponding to Red/Green/Blue and Hue/Saturation/Brightness

Notice that mode is an int.

If you're writing your own code, enum values are probably the way to go. But if you're asking about how Processing does it internally, then they use int values.

primef · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-13 16:05:09Z

You could use the enum library. For example to create a "Mode" like you want you could do:

from enum import Enum class ColorMode(Enum): COMPLEMENTARY = 1 PASTEL = 2

Afterwards you can access it using:

ColorMode.COMPLEMENTARY

user9455968 · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-13 16:05:21Z

Use the enum module:

import enum class Mode(enum.Enum): COMPLEMENTARY = 1 PASTEL = 2 def colorMode(mode): return "using color mode {}".format(mode) if __name__ == "__main__": print(colorMode(Mode.COMPLEMENTARY)) print(colorMode(Mode.PASTEL))

Output:

using color mode Mode.COMPLEMENTARY using color mode Mode.PASTEL

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