:func:`eval` functions. So I will explain about those first, and after that I

will explain about the "class address" and shortening business.

It *is* sometimes helpful that the :func:`repr` string ``"<class 'decimal.Decimal'>"`` informs us that this is a class; but sometimes you want a string that you can turn back into an object. Although... :func:`eval` might not be able to find it, because :mod:`decimal` might not be imported.

<h2>:func:`address_tools.describe` and :func:`address_tools.resolve`</h2>

<pre>>>> from garlicsim.general_misc import address_tools

>>> import decimal

>>> address_tools.describe(decimal.Decimal)

'decimal.Decimal'

</pre>

That's a nice description string! We can put that back into <code>resolve</code> and get the original class:

<pre>>>> address_tools.resolve(address_tools.describe(decimal.Decimal)) is decimal.Decimal

True</pre>

We can use <code>resolve</code> to get this function, without <code>re</code> being imported, and it will import <span>re</span> by itself:

<pre>>>> address_tools.resolve('re.match')

<function match at 0x00B5E6B0></pre>

This shtick also works on classes, functions, methods, modules, and possibly other kinds of objects.

<h2>Address shortening</h2>

One of the original purposes of :mod:`address_tools` was address-shortening. Sometimes I have a class inside a module inside a package inside my root package. For example, the most important class in <code>garlicsim</code> is <code>garlicsim.asynchronous_crunching.project.Project</code>. But that's a really long string. And because it's such an important class, it's also available at the friendlier address <code>garlicsim.Project</code>.

Using :func:`address_tools.describe`, we can get the shorter address of the class:

<pre>>>> from garlicsim.general_misc import address_tools

>>> import garlicsim

>>> address_tools.describe(garlicsim.Project) # By default we get the full address:

'garlicsim.asynchronous_crunching.project.Project'

>>> address_tools.describe(garlicsim.Project, shorten=True) # Bam, shortening:

'garlicsim.Project'

</pre>

I recommend using this feature in any <a href="http://docs.python.org/reference/datamodel.html#object.__repr__"><code>__repr__</code></a> methods that you write for your classes, to make the resulting string shorter. <a href="https://github.com/cool-RR/GarlicSim/blob/master/garlicsim/garlicsim/asynchronous_crunching/project.py#L542">Here's how I do it.</a>