Mass Deface 2: state = info[2] else: state = {} if n > 3: listiter = info[3] else: listiter = None if n > 4: dictiter = info[4] else: dictiter = None if deep: args = deepcopy(args, memo) y = callable(*args) memo[id(x)] = y if state: if deep: state = deepcopy(state, memo) if hasattr(y, '__setstate__'): y.__setstate__(state) else: if isinstance(state, tuple) and len(state) == 2: state, slotstate = state else: slotstate = None if state is not None: y.__dict__.update(state) if slotstate is not None: for key, value in slotstate.iteritems(): setattr(y, key, value) if listiter is not None: for item in listiter: if deep: item = deepcopy(item, memo) y.append(item) if dictiter is not None: for key, value in dictiter: if deep: key = deepcopy(key, memo) value = deepcopy(value, memo) y[key] = value return y del d del types # Helper for instance creation without calling __init__ class _EmptyClass: pass def _test(): l = [None, 1, 2L, 3.14, 'xyzzy', (1, 2L), [3.14, 'abc'], {'abc': 'ABC'}, (), [], {}] l1 = copy(l) print l1==l l1 = map(copy, l) print l1==l l1 = deepcopy(l) print l1==l class C: def __init__(self, arg=None): self.a = 1 self.arg = arg if __name__ == '__main__': import sys file = sys.argv[0] else: file = __file__ self.fp = open(file) self.fp.close() def __getstate__(self): return {'a': self.a, 'arg': self.arg} def __setstate__(self, state): for key, value in state.iteritems(): setattr(self, key, value) def __deepcopy__(self, memo=None): new = self.__class__(deepcopy(self.arg, memo)) new.a = self.a return new c = C('argument sketch') l.append(c) l2 = copy(l) print l == l2 print l print l2 l2 = deepcopy(l) print l == l2 print l print l2 l.append({l[1]: l, 'xyz': l[2]}) l3 = copy(l) import repr print map(repr.repr, l) print map(repr.repr, l1) print map(repr.repr, l2) print map(repr.repr, l3) l3 = deepcopy(l) import repr print map(repr.repr, l) print map(repr.repr, l1) print map(repr.repr, l2) print map(repr.repr, l3) class odict(dict): def __init__(self, d = {}): self.a = 99 dict.__init__(self, d) def __setitem__(self, k, i): dict.__setitem__(self, k, i) self.a o = odict({"A" : "B"}) x = deepcopy(o) print(o, x) if __name__ == '__main__': _test()