token.py:

class Tokenizer:
    def __init__(self, string):
        self.string = string
        self.index = 0
        self.__next()
    def __next(self):
        if self.index >= len(self.string):
            self.next = None
            return
        char = self.string[self.index]
        if char[0] == "\\":
            try:
                c = self.string[self.index + 1]
            except IndexError:
                raise error, "bogus escape (end of line)"
            char = char + c
        self.index = self.index + len(char)
        self.next = char
    def match(self, char, skip=1):
        print char, self.next
        if char == self.next:
            if skip:
                self.__next()
            return 1
        return 0
    def get(self):
        this = self.next
        self.__next()
        return this
    def tell(self):
        return self.index, self.next
    def seek(self, index):
        self.index, self.next = index


token=Tokenizer('name=(.+)')

t = token.get()

while(t):
    if t == '(':
        if token.match('?'):
            print matched
    t = token.get()
--------------------

% ~/jython2.5.3b1/bin/jython -m py_compile token.py% java -cp ~/jython2.5.3b1/jython.jar:. token\$py
? .
Exception in thread "main" Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "token$py", line 42, in <module>
  File "token$py", line 21, in match
java.lang.NullPointerException
	at org.python.core.PyObject._eq(PyObject.java:1440)
	at token$py.match$4(/home/joel/software/actinica/nutfield/tests/token.py:25)
	at token$py.call_function(/home/joel/software/actinica/nutfield/tests/token.py)
	at org.python.core.PyTableCode.call(PyTableCode.java:165)
	at org.python.core.PyBaseCode.call(PyBaseCode.java:301)
	at org.python.core.PyBaseCode.call(PyBaseCode.java:141)
	at org.python.core.PyFunction.__call__(PyFunction.java:327)
	at org.python.core.PyMethod.__call__(PyMethod.java:124)
	at token$py.f$0(/home/joel/software/actinica/nutfield/tests/token.py:40)
	at token$py.call_function(/home/joel/software/actinica/nutfield/tests/token.py)
	at org.python.core.PyTableCode.call(PyTableCode.java:165)
	at org.python.core.PyCode.call(PyCode.java:18)
	at org.python.core.imp.createFromCode(imp.java:386)
	at org.python.core.imp.createFromCode(imp.java:357)
	at org.python.core.Py.runMain(Py.java:964)
	at token$py.main(/home/joel/software/actinica/nutfield/tests/token.py)

java.lang.NullPointerException: java.lang.NullPointerException