Hugo, You need to create an instance of the Root class before you can call rootState in your final print statement. Your code doesn't do this. A class is merely a template, something like blueprints to a house. For you to be able to unlock the front door (for instance), you need to actually build a specific "instance" of the house first. "313 Hillcrest Lane" and "4214 Willowbrook Drive" might be two houses that have the same blueprint, but maintain different states from each other because they are different "instances" of class House.
To make this work, remove the final print statement and replace it with this: # instantiates ("builds") a copy of the Root class and names it "root" root = Root(0) print "The character state at the root is %0.f" % root._rootState Note the change to the end of the print statement. Your code has rootState, mine has root._rootState (the specific instance of Root, followed by the "dot" operator, followed by the attribute or method you are trying to access). I'm a bit confused as to whether you intended _rootState to be a copy of the *original* value passed in, with rootState maintaining a copy of the *current* value, or if that is a typo. Please elaborate. Hope this helps clear up confusion (as opposed to creating more...heh). Jonathon halamillo wrote: > Hello, > I'm a really-green-to-python Biology Grad Student. I;m starting this > code so I can assign either a 0 or a 1 at a root node that I will > later evolve throughout a tree, but for some reason it is not printing > the rootState value. I know its probably a really stupid mistake, but > I can't seem to work it out. Can anyone give me insight why? Thanks. > > import random > from random import random as rnd > from math import exp > > > class Root: > """Single Node in a Tree""" > > def __init__( self, rootState ): > > > self._rootState = rootState > > # random choice for root state from a list > for i in range(1): > rootState = random.choice([0, 1]) > > > def __str__( self ): > """Root string representation""" > > > return str( self._rootState ) > print "The character state at the root is %0.f" % rootState > > > Hugo Alamillo > Biological Sciences > 265 Eastlick > PO Box 644236 > Washington State University > Pullman, WA 99164 > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor > _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor