On Friday 24 October 2003 12:27 am, Zack Weinberg wrote: ...
Frankly, I wish Python required one to write explicit declarations for all variables in the program:
var x, y, z # module scope
class bar: classvar I, J, K # class variables
Seems like a great way to get uninitialized variables to me. Might as well mandate initialization, getting a hard-to-read classvar I=2.3, J=(2,3), K=23 or to force more readability one might say only one name per classvar statement classvar I=2.3 classvar J=(2,3) classvar K=23 But then what added value is that 'classvar' boilerplate dirtying things up? Might as well take it off and get I = 2.3 J = (2, 3) K = 23 which is just what we have now.
It's extra bondage and discipline, yeah, but it's that much more help comprehending the program six months later, and it also gets rid of
There is absolutely no help (not one minute later, not six months later) "comprehending" the program just because some silly language mandates redundancy, such as a noiseword 'classvar' in front of the assignments.
the "how was this variable name supposed to be spelled again?" question.
I disagree that the 'classvar' boilerplate would provide any help with that question. Just put the initializing assignment there and it's only clearer for NOT being obscured by that 'classvar' thingy. Document with docstrings or comments, not by changing the language. A language which, I suspect, MIGHT let you do exactly what you want, is Ruby. I don't know for sure that you can tweak Ruby into giving (at least) warnings for assignment to symbols outside of a certain set, but I suspect you might; you _can_ change the language's semantics pretty deeply. Yet in most other ways it's close enough to Python that the two are almost equivalent. I do believe (and hope!) you stand very little chance of ever getting into Python something as alien to its tradition and principles as variable declarations, so, if they're important to you, considering ruby might be a more productive option for you. Alex