[Python-Dev] Re: [pygtk] How to delete Gtk objects

[Skip Montanaro]

(adding python-dev to this conversation because decisions about missing
special methods vis a vis PEP 252/253 seem to me to definitely belong in
that space.)

    >> I think that there may be some problems with extended types and
    >> __del__?

    Matt> For example:

    Matt> class myList(type([])):
    Matt>     def __del__(self):
    Matt>         print "list dealloced"

    Matt> list = myList()
    Matt> list.append("foo")
    Matt> list.append("bar")
    Matt> del list

    Matt> never prints list delloced.

My guess (without examining any code) is that __del__ is not implemented for
new-style classes.  There is this rather cryptic note at the end of PEP 253:

      - open issues:
         ...
         - do we need __coerce__, __del__? 
         ...

which leads me to believe that __del__ would not be called in the current
implementation.  If people are going to be subclassing more than the
traditional builtin types I think __del__ methods will have to be supported.

Skip