[ python-Bugs-1758696 ] Documentation of descriptors needs more detail

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Bugs item #1758696, was opened at 2007-07-22 22:35
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Category: Documentation
Group: Python 2.5
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Private: No
Submitted By: L. Peter Deutsch (lpd)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: Documentation of descriptors needs more detail

Initial Comment:
Doc section 3.4.2.3 says:

Data descriptors define both __get__() and __set__(). Non-data descriptors have just the __get__() method.

This is not quite detailed enough. By experiment, the next paragraph is the whole story, which I think should replace the above two sentences.

A descriptor can define any combination of __get__(), __set__(), and __delete__(). If it does not define __get__(), then accessing the attribute (a.x) will return the descriptor itself. If the descriptor defines __set__() and/or __delete__(), it is a data descriptor; if it defines neither, it is a non-data descriptor.

I realize that some combinations of __get__(), __set__(), and __delete__() are not very useful, but the documentation should cover all the cases.


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