Convert string to Python class object?

Question

Given a string as user input to a Python function, I'd like to get a class object out of it if there's a class with that name in the currently defined namespace. Essentially, I want the implementation for a function which will produce this kind of result:

class Foo:
    pass

str_to_class("Foo")
==> <class __main__.Foo at 0x69ba0>

Is this, at all, possible?

Answer 1

This could work:

import sys

def str_to_class(classname):
    return getattr(sys.modules[__name__], classname)