I'm using winPython 3.7.4 with spider IDE
The following code will will result in an error:

s = 'abc'
len(dir(s))

TypeError: 'str' object is not callable

also

i = 123
len(dir(i))

TypeError: 'str' object is not callable

--

Is the built-in attribute dir() somehow converted to string?

I am doing the code exercise in the book 'Python in Easy Steps' 2nd edition pp120 and 121
item #6 (pp121) in the code fails with the same error or TypeError: 'str' object is not callable

as such i did two simple tests with very simple code listed at the begging of this letter.
They also failed.

Here is the code provided by the author:

file: Bird.py
class Bird :

'''A base class to define bird properties.'''

count = 0

def __init__( self , chat ) :

	self.sound = chat
	Bird.count += 1

def talk( self ) :

	return self.sound

--
file: address.py
from Bird import *

chick = Bird( 'Cheep, cheep!' )
chick.age = '1 week'

print( '\nChick Says:' , chick.talk() )
print( 'Chick Age:' , chick.age )

chick.age = '2 weeks'
print( 'Chick Now:' , chick.age )

setattr( chick , 'age' , '3 weeks' )

print( '\nChick Attributes...' )
for attrib in dir( chick ) : # this where it fails
if attrib[0] != '_' :
print( attrib , ':' , getattr( chick , attrib ) )

delattr( chick , 'age' )
print( '\nChick age Attribute?' , hasattr( chick , 'age' ) )

--
JohnB