[Python-Dev] weakref enhancements

[tomer filiba]

i'd like to suggest adding weak attributes and weak methods to the std
weakref
module.

weakattrs are weakly-referenced attributes. when the value they reference is
no
longer strongly-referenced by something else, the weakattrs "nullify"
themselves.

weakmethod is a method decorator, like classmethod et al, that returns
"weakly
bound" methods. weakmethod's im_self is a weakref.proxy to `self`, which
means
the mere method will not keep the entire instance alive. instead, you'll get
a
ReferenceError.

i think these two features are quite useful, and being part of the stdlib,
would
provide programmers with easy-to-use solutions to object-aliveness issues.

more info, examples, and suggested implementation:
* http://sebulba.wikispaces.com/recipe+weakattr
* http://sebulba.wikispaces.com/recipe+weakmethod


-tomer
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