Python’s Hidden Metaprogramming Trick: AST (Abstract Syntax Tree) Magic! 🔥

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Most Python developers have never explored the world of AST (Abstract Syntax Tree) — but once you do, it will blow your mind. 🚀

What if I told you that you can analyze, modify, and even generate Python code dynamically like a compiler? 😲

Sounds crazy, right? Well, welcome to AST, one of the most powerful and underused features of Python!

🔹 1. What Is AST (Abstract Syntax Tree)?

Before Python executes your script, it parses your code into an Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) — a structured representation of your code’s syntax.

💡 Think of AST as Python’s way of understanding code before running it.

📌 Example:
Let’s take a simple Python expression and convert it into an AST tree.

import ast

expr = "3 + 5"
tree = ast.parse(expr, mode='eval')

print(ast.dump(tree, indent=2))

🔹 Output:

Expression(
  body=BinOp(
    left=Constant(value=3),
    op=Add(),
    right=Constant(value=5)
  )
)

✅ Python has broken the expression into nodes:

• BinOp → Binary Operation (+)
• Constant(value=3) → Number 3