[Python-Dev] Re: PEP 308: "then" "else" for deprecating "and" "or" side effects

[Christian Tismer]

François Pinard wrote:
> [Christian Tismer]
> 
> 
>>Dear community,
> 
> 
> Nice way to salute! :-)

as it was indented to be :-)

>>there has been some favor of my silly/simple a then b else c proposal.
> 
> 
> Not so long ago, I added a similar feature in an ad hoc language we created
> for one project (French and specialised syntax, and written under pressure).
> Strangely enough, it did not occur to me, before this morning, that there
> was some relation with this long thread in the Python universe. :-)
> 
> If I translate the keywords of our syntax back to English, it gives:
> 
>     a when b else c
> 
> with a chainable property not requiring parentheses:
> 
>     a when b else c when d else ...
> 
> Our language is declarative (tinily functional) rather than imperative.
> Yet, the above writings are not far from the original Guido suggestion.

Well, the difference is of course quite big to me.

a when b else c when d else ...

compared to

a if b else c if d else ...

looks much smoother.

I also could imagine "where":

a where b else c where d else ...

All in favor over re-using a strong "if".
"if" is used to be too much right-orientated...

more-of-this -- chris

-- 
Christian Tismer             :^)   <mailto:tismer@tismer.com>
Mission Impossible 5oftware  :     Have a break! Take a ride on Python's
Johannes-Niemeyer-Weg 9a     :    *Starship* http://starship.python.net/
14109 Berlin                 :     PGP key -> http://wwwkeys.pgp.net/
work +49 30 89 09 53 34  home +49 30 802 86 56  pager +49 173 24 18 776
PGP 0x57F3BF04       9064 F4E1 D754 C2FF 1619  305B C09C 5A3B 57F3 BF04
      whom do you want to sponsor today?   http://www.stackless.com/