What I am trying to do: I am developing a python product that is has several composed 'helper' classes. I am trying to setup a method delegation service to have certain methods of the helper classes called directly on the container. the helper methods are defined in a text list called external_api of the helper classes. The Problem: The code below works fine if i call it after the object is already in the zodb. I can call methods of the helper classes through the container. if however i try to put the method in the containers __init__ method i get an error back from zope about a pickle error. traceback below. If i remove this method from __init__ everything works fine again. Question: Whats going on? help... Platform: Linux 2.2.16 Zope 2.1.6 Code *** the try/except is only so the method doesn't barf on helper classes that don't define an external api, there is no hidden error. def setup_user_object(self): """ setup external api to be called on object """ # setups a method delegation service for the external api # not the most elegant but the one that worked first global AuthenticationManager, SessionManager, UserPreferences, UserInfo user_class_map = ( (SessionManager, "self.sm."), ) for user_class, user_obj_string in user_class_map: try: for method in user_class.external_api: for key, item in user_class.__dict__.items(): if key == method and type(item) == types.FunctionType: self.__dict__[key]=eval(user_obj_string+key) except: pass return self.__dict__.keys() Traceback Error Type: UnpickleableError Error Value: Cannot pickle objects Traceback (innermost last): File /home/ender/Zope-2.1.6-src/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py, line 214, in publish_module File /home/ender/Zope-2.1.6-src/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py, line 179, in publish File /home/ender/Zope-2.1.6-src/lib/python/Zope/__init__.py, line 202, in zpublisher_exception_hook File /home/ender/Zope-2.1.6-src/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py, line 169, in publish File /home/ender/Zope-2.1.6-src/lib/python/ZODB/Transaction.py, line 237, in commit File /home/ender/Zope-2.1.6-src/lib/python/ZODB/Connection.py, line 325, in commit (Info: (('Products.SIN.UserObject', 'UserObject'), '\000\000\000\000\000\000\001]', '')) UnpickleableError: (see above)