[Python-3000] super(), class decorators, and PEP 3115

[Phillip J. Eby]

At 12:17 PM 4/30/2007 -0700, Guido van Rossum wrote:
>Hm... Where *is* the class decorators PEP? I was expecting it.
>
>Assuming class decorators are added, can't you do all of this using a
>custom metaclass?

The only thing I need for the GF PEP is a way for a method decorator to get 
a callback after the class is created, so that overloading will work 
correctly in cases where overloaded methods are defined in a subclass.

In essence, when you define an overloaded method inside a class body, you 
would like to be able to treat it as if it were defined with 
"self:__class__", where __class__ is the enclosing class.  In practice, 
this means that the actual overloading has to wait until the class 
definition is finished.

In Python 2.x, RuleDispatch implements this by temporary tinkering with 
__metaclass__, but if I understand correctly this would not be possible 
with PEP 3115.  I didn't make this connection until I was fleshing out my 
PEP's explanation of how precedence works when you are overloading instance 
methods (as opposed to standalone functions).

If PEP 3115 were changed to restore support for __metaclass__, I could 
continue to use that approach.  Otherwise, some other sort of hook is required.

The class decorator thing isn't an issue for the GF PEP as such; it doesn't 
use them directly, only via the __metaclass__ hack.  I just brought it up 
because I was looking for the class decorator PEP when I realized that the 
old way of doing them wouldn't be possible any more.


>I'm not sure that your proposal for implementing an improved super has
>anything over the currently most-favored proposal by Timothy Delaney.

It's merely another use for the hook, that would save on having another 
special-purpose mechanism strictly for super(); I figured that having other 
uses for it (besides mine) would be a plus.