title: What is getattr() exactly and how do I use it?
body: <p>I've recently <a href="http://diveintopython.net/power_of_introspection/getattr.html" rel="noreferrer">read about the <code>getattr()</code> function</a>. The problem is that I still can't grasp the idea of its usage. The only thing I understand about <code>getattr()</code> is that <code>getattr(li, "pop")</code> is the same as calling <code>li.pop</code>.</p>
  
  <p>I didn't understand when the book mentioned how you use it to get a reference to a function without knowing its name until run-time. Maybe this is me being a noob in programming, in general. Could anyone shed some light on the subject? When and how do I use this exactly?</p>