call private class function in exec() python

Question

I am having an unexpected issue. This is the simplified code:

class test():
def __init__(self,name):
self.name = name

def __private(self):
print(self.name)

def public(self):
exec("self.__private()")

obj = test('John')
obj.public()

does anyone know how I can make this code work without getting rid of the exec statement?

Answer 1

Dunderscore methods won't work in exec as they are implicitly inaccessible. Prefix this method with a single underscore for it to work properly or change your designation of this method.
It is not like a typical public/private/protected access known in other languages, but similar to some extent.

Take a look at this thread at SO, it sums up the features of "private" methods in Python:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1301346/what-is-the-meaning-of-a-single-and-a-double-underscore-before-an-object-name