'import x as y' stops the show (was: Re: [Python-Dev] [Patch #101135] 'import x as y' and 'from x import y as z' (fwd))

[Peter Schneider-Kamp]

Thomas Wouters wrote:
> 
> 'join as j' ? What would it do ? Import all symbols from 'string' into a
> new namespace 'j' ? How about you do 'import string as j' instead ? It means
> you will still be able to do 'j._somevar', which you probably wouldn't in
> your example, but I don't think that's enough reason :P

Okay, your misunderstanding of the semantics I had in mind are
reason enough <0.5 wink>.

from string import *, join as j
(or equivalently)
from string import join as j, *

would (in my book) import all "public" symbols from string
and assign j = join.

Assuming we have a Tkinter app (where all the tutorials
do a 'from Tkinter import *') and we don't like
'createtimerhandle'. Then the following would give
us tk_timer instead while still importing all the stuff
from Tkinter with their regular names:

from Tkinter import *, createtimerhandle as tk_timer

An even better way of doing this were if it would not
only give you another name but if it would not import
the original one. In this example our expression
would import all the symbols from Tkinter but would
rename createtimerhandle as tk_timer. In this way you
could still use * if you have a namespace clash. E.g.:

from Tkinter import *, mainloop as tk_mainloop

def mainloop():
  <do some really useful stuff calling tk_mainloop()>

if __name__ == '__main__':
  mainloop()

Peter
--
Peter Schneider-Kamp          ++47-7388-7331
Herman Krags veg 51-11        mailto:peter@schneider-kamp.de
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