GetSource

GetSource is a generic term used in software development to denote an operation that returns the original source or origin of a given object or artifact. The exact semantics vary by language and context, but the common idea is to expose the untransformed source material behind a wrapper, alias, or processed view.

In Python, the standard library provides a function named getsource in the inspect module that retrieves the text of a function, class, or module as written in a source file. It is available only when the source is accessible as text; built-in or dynamically generated objects may not have retrievable source. In other languages, a similarly named method may unwrap an abstraction to reveal the underlying implementation, or return the textual source used to generate a component.

GetSource is also used in libraries and frameworks to obtain the original data source of a component, such as a data provider, a template’s source, or a wrapper around an external service. Depending on the context, it may return a file path, a URL, or a reference to another object representing the source. This usage supports debugging, auditing, or re-creation of artifacts from their origins.

Limitations include cases where source material is unavailable, stripped, or protected for security reasons. In such cases getSource may fail or return a non-representative value. When source cannot be retrieved, developers may consult related metadata, source maps, or documentation instead.

See also: inspect.getsource, source map, unwrap, data source.