[Python-Dev] Namespaces

[Barry A. Warsaw]

>>>>> "A" == Aahz  <aahz@pythoncraft.com> writes:

    A> * primary names (gotten from the lang ref), which are names in
    A> the local/global/builtin namespace

    A> * object names (and a module is an object ;-) AKA attributes

I'd just call these "attributes" <wink>.  Okay, maybe "attribute names".

    A> * computed bindings (getitem/setitem)

I'd call these "computed attributes".  I don't like "computed
bindings" because that sounds like you're saying that you're computing
both the target of the binding and the object that is being bound (or
one or the other?).

    A> What do we call all three of these collectively?  I'd say that
    A> I agree with MvL that computed bindings are not in fact names,

"Computed attributes" aren't bindings, but that only matters if you
can tell the difference.  In a normal situation, if you see "obj.foo"
it may not matter that "foo" only exists by virtue of a
setattr/getattr/descriptor.  I'd still claim that "foo" is an
attribute name because it's part of the public interface for obj,
albeit perhaps a virtual attribute name.

    A> and as I said in my other post, using "binding" as the
    A> collective noun looks ugly when we're also using it as a verb.
    A> The key is to come up with some good way of saying

    A>     When rebinding a <foo> ...

Names get bound, so names get rebound.  At least, that's how I think
about it.

semantical-ly y'rs,
-Barry