Python error "NameError: global name 'self' is not defined" when calling another method in same class

Question

Hello all. I get a weird error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/remote/us01home15/ldagan/python/add_parallel_definition.py", line 36, in <module>
new_netlist.lines=orig_netlist.add_parallel_extention(cell_name,parallel,int(level))
File "/remote/us01home15/ldagan/python/hspice_netlist.py", line 70, in add_parallel_extention
new_cells_definition=self.gen_parallel_hierarchy(num,self.lines[i])
File "/remote/us01home15/ldagan/python/hspice_netlist.py", line 52, in gen_parallel_hierarchy
cell_lines=self.gen_parallel_inst(num_of_parallel,cell_1st_line)
NameError: global name 'self' is not defined

From all the tutorials that I have seen, calling a different method from the same class is via self.method_name

It's a script instantiating a class. The script is:

#!/depot/Python-3.1.1/bin/python3.1
#gets a netlist and a cell name.
#generates a new netlist with the parallel instanciation
import sys
import re
from operator import itemgetter

sys.path.append('/remote/us01home15/ldagan/python/')
from hspice_netlist import hspice_netlist
command="" # initializing argument string
for l in sys.argv:
    command=command + " " + "".join(l)
print (len(sys.argv))
print (command)
if (len(sys.argv) <4):
    sys.exit("Pleas input original file name & new file name")

orig_netlist=hspice_netlist("file=" +  "".join(sys.argv[1])) #reading new netlist
new_netlist=hspice_netlist("") #empty netlist
match=re.search(r"subckt\s*=\s*(\S+)",command)
if (match):
    cell_name=match.group(1) #cell to be parallelized name
else:
    sys.exit("Please input subckt= <subckt name>")
match=re.search(r"level\s*=\s*(\S+)",command)
if (match):
    level=match.group(1) #levels of netlist name
else:
    sys.exit("Please input level=<level name>")
match=re.search(r"parallel\s*=\s*(\S+)",command)
if (match):
    parallel=match.group(1) #new netlist name
else:
    sys.exit("Please input parallel=<parallel name>")

new_netlist.lines=orig_netlist.add_parallel_extention(cell_name,parallel,int(level))
match=re.search(r"outfile\s*=\s*(\S+)",command)
if (match):
    output_filename=match.group[1]

outfile=open(output_filename,'w')
outfile.write("".join(new_netlist.lines))

The class code is:

import sys
import re
from collections import defaultdict
class hspice_netlist:
    def __init__(self,cmd):
        cmd_match=re.search(r"file\s*=\s*(\S+)",cmd)
        if (cmd_match):
            filename=cmd_match.group(1)
            self.infile = open(filename, 'r')
            self.lines=self.infile.readlines() #reading the lines
            self.infile.close() #closing filehandle

    def input_lines(self,lines):
                self.lines=lines

    def get_subckt_lines(self,name):
        gotit=0
        ret_lines=[]
        find_sub=re.compile("^.sub\S*\s+"+name, re.IGNORECASE)
        find_end=re.compile('^.ends', re.IGNORECASE)
        for line in self.lines:
            if (not gotit):
                if (find_sub.search(line)):
                    gotit=1
                    ret_lines.append(line)
                else:
                    ret_lines.append(line)
                    if (find_end.search(line)):
                        return ret_lines
        sys.exit("Could not find the lines for circuit " + name + '\n')

    def gen_parallel_inst(num,cell_1st_line):
        ret_lines=[] #starting a fresh!!
        cell_data=re.search(r"^\S+\s+(\S+)(\s+.*)", cell_1st_line)
        cell_name=cell_data.group(1) # got the cell name
        new_cell_name=cell_name + '__' + str(num) # new cell name
        nodes=cell_data.group(2) # interface
        ret_lines.append("".join([".sub ", new_cell_name,nodes,"\n"]))
        iter=num
        if (not (re.search(r"\s+$",nodes))):
            nodes=nodes + ' ' #need a space before the cell name, add if it doesn't exist
        while(iter > 0):
            line="x" + str(iter) + nodes  + cell_name + "\n"
            ret_lines.append(line)
            iter=iter-1
        ret_lines.append(".ends\n") #end of subcircuit definition
        return return_lines

    def gen_parallel_hierarchy(num_of_parallel,level,cell_1st_line):
        '''What that it does: Gets a cell name, then finds that cell's interface definition. It then simply relicates the cell, in parallel, then into hierarchies, ending with new cells' definitions. It is useful  for the HSPICE BA issue. It runs recusively. Currently it supports 1 line for interface definition, and no parameters for the cell @ this time '''
        ret_lines=[]
        cell_lines=self.gen_parallel_inst(num_of_parallel,cell_1st_line)
        ret_lines.extend(cell_lines)
        if (level>0):
            ret_lines.extend(self.gen_parallel_hierarchy(num_of_parallel,level-1,cell_lines[0]))
        return ret_lines



    def add_parallel_extention(self,cell_name,num,level):
        ''' Get a cell name + definitions and generates a new netlist '''
        i=0
        regi=re.compile("^.sub\S*\s+" + cell_name)
        m=-1
        while ( (i+1 < len(self.lines)) &  ( not m )):
            i=i+1
            m=regi.search(lines[i]) #finding the line
        if (not m):
            sys.exit("could not find subcircuit definition of " + cell_name + "\n")
        new_cells_definition=self.gen_parallel_hierarchy(num,self.lines[i])
        i=i-1
        ret_lines=self.lines[0:i] # creating return variable, using extend for performance
        ret_lines.extend(new_cells_definition)
        ret_lines.extend(self.lines[i+1:len(self.lines)])
        return ret_lines

        #get the cell
        #write the level 

I am definitely doing something fundamentally wrong, but I don't know what. Thanks for helping an EE newbe (to Python).

Answer 1

You are missing self in two method declarations.

These

def gen_parallel_hierarchy(num_of_parallel,level,cell_1st_line):
def gen_parallel_inst(num,cell_1st_line):

should be

def gen_parallel_hierarchy(self,num_of_parallel,level,cell_1st_line):
def gen_parallel_inst(self,num,cell_1st_line):

The error happens because you haven't put the self parameter in gen_parallel_hierarchy() but are referring to it in the line which fails:

cell_lines=self.gen_parallel_inst(num_of_parallel,cell_1st_line)