[Python-Dev] Adding C ternary select (a?b:c) to Python?

[Ken Manheimer]

On Mon, 31 Jan 2000, Fred L. Drake, Jr. wrote:

> Ka-Ping Yee writes:
>  > a scan through a decent chunk of Python would be useful to find out how
>  > often this construct (in its "and"/"or" incarnation) actually gets used.
> 
>   I'm not sure what the survey provides other than a lower bound.  I
> think most Python programmers who want the ?: functionality avoid the
> and/or approach because of the ugliness.  I know I do.

Good point.  Just because the workaround is bad doesn't mean the thing
being worked-around is unimportant...

I should weigh in to say that i have really really wanted, in particular,
the ability to have a condition on the right hand side of an assignement.
IIR, on some occasions it seemed less clear to have to use separate
statements for what was essentially a single assignment that just, eg,
differed by a single term.  I wanted (want) some reasonable way to express
the condition in an expression.  I can see how this compactness could lead
to regex-style convolution of expressions, but that could be avoided by
providing a not-too-terse syntax.

(I should admit that may have succumbed to the (a and (b,) or (c,))[0]
grotesquerie at some point!  Not sure.  Wish i could recall what might
have justified succumbing - the mere fact that i may have, without
compelling justification, might-should disqualify my judgement on the
matter, ay?  Hey, maybe i didn't, i was just imagining it - now am i not a
sterling judge?-)

Ken
klm@digicool.com