jythonIsGlobal <- function()  {
  #  Checks to see if jython is properly set, if not then sets it
  #
  # Returns FALSE if jython was not previously set; else returns TRUE
  
  testForjython <- try(class(jython), silent=TRUE)
  if (class(testForjython) == "try-error"  |  testForjython!="jobjRef")  {  
        require(rJython)
    .jinit()
    jython <<- rJython()
    return(FALSE)
  }
  return(TRUE)
}

python <- function(jythonStatement)  {
  #  Executes in python the string passed
  #    (Simply a wrapper for an easier way to make python calls)
  #  Arg:
  #    jythonStatement: an executable line of python code of type string
  # 
  #  Returns:
  #   passes through the return from the jython.exec command (generally NULL)
  
  jythonIsGlobal()
  return(jython.exec(jython, jythonStatement))
  
  # OLD:  return(jython.exec(jython, paste(jythonStatement)))

}

pythonGet <- function(pythonObj)  {
  #  From Python Environment, Gets the value of pythonObj.
  #    (Simply a wrapper for an easier way to get a python object)
  #
  #  Arg:
  #    pythonObj: name of object in python whose value will be retrieved & returned
  #
  #  Returns:
  #   the value of pythonObj in the python environment

  jythonIsGlobal()
  return(jython.get(jython, pythonObj))
  # OLD  return(jython.get(jython, paste(substitute(pythonObj))))
}

pythonSet <- function(rObj)  {
  #  Sets the value of a python object of same name as rObj to value of rObj.
  #    same as pythonSetDiffName() but with one less argument to have to type
  #
  #  Arg:
  #    rObj: object in R; value will be assigned to object of same name in python
  #          
  #
  #  NOTE: when rObj is a string, pythonSet will create 
  #        a variable whose name is the value of the string 
  #        and whose value is also the value of the string. 
  # 
  #  Returns:
  #   passes through the return from the jython.assign command (generally NULL)
  
  jythonIsGlobal()
  return(jython.assign(jython, substitute(rObj), rObj))
}

pythonSetDiffName <- function(pythonObj, rObj)  {
  #  Sets the value of a python object named pythonObj to that of rObj
  #    
  #  Arg:
  #    pythonObj: name of object in python environment that will receive rObj
  #    rObj: object in R whose value is getting assigned to pythonObj
  #
  #  Returns:
  #   passes through the return from the jython.assign command (generally NULL)
  
  jythonIsGlobal()
  return(jython.assign(jython, pythonObj, rObj))
}


pyParse <- function(strToParse)  {
  #  Uses Python to parse a string along any non-char delim
  #  Arg:
  #    strToParse: any string needing parsing
  #
  #  Returns:
  #   list of parsed strings

  python("import re")
  pythonSetDiffName("strToParse123b4c5", strToParse)   
  return(pythonGet(paste("re.findall('\\w+', str(strToParse123b4c5))")))
}