[Python-Dev] syntax for funcion attributes

[Michael Hudson]

"Mark Nottingham" <mnot@mnot.net> writes:

> Hello,
>
> I'm not a python-dev regular, so sorry if this is a FAQ. What's the status
> of defining a syntax for function attributes (PEP 232)?

I don't think changes here are likely.

> I'm using __doc__ to carry metadata about methods right now, but
> would very much like to use function attributes. However, without a
> specialized syntax, I'm stuck doing things like
>
> VeryLongMethodName.MetadataName = "foo"
>
> which is fine if it's a one-off, but I'd like others to use the code, and
> this isn't exactly a friendly mechanism.

If PEP <the one I haven't written yet> gets accepted, you'll be able
to do

def with_metadata(func):
    func.metadata = "yes"

def f(blah) [with_metadata]:
    ....

or even 

def with_metadata(data):
    def inner(func):
        func.metadata = data
    return inner

def f(blah) [with_metadata("yes")]:
    ....

Would that suit you?

Cheers,
M.

-- 
  > Why are we talking about bricks and concrete in a lisp newsgroup?
  After long experiment it was found preferable to talking about why
  Lisp is slower than C++...
                        -- Duane Rettig & Tim Bradshaw, comp.lang.lisp