[Python-Dev] A vote against dict(keyword=value) sugar + musing on how to do it

[Bengt Richter]

I'd rather have unambiguous use of it for subclasses of dict.

    def md(**kw):return kw
    d = dict(md(keyword=value))

is not that much work. Unambiguous simple use in subclasses is more important IMO.

<musing>
If there were a way to partition arguments into multiple arg lists so __new__ could optionally
have separable lists for passing to base class constructors vs using for the
subclass __new__ vs letting __init__ maybe do something. E.g., you could separate multiple
lists with ';'

    class D(dict):
        def __new__(cls, *args, **kw; number=123,**subclass_kw):  #XXX# currently illegal
        self = dict.__new__(cls, *args, **kw)                     #XXX# shouldn't be legal unless
        self.color = subclass_kw.get('color','blue')              #     we can partition arg lists, IMO 
        self.number = number
        return self
    ...
    d1 = D(key=value, key2=value2)  #XXX# means default args for number, subclass_kw
    d2 = D(; 456, color='red')      #XXX# empty base dict, other non-default attributes

I.e., D is drop-in compatible for base-class-compatible construction calls, and has to be
different anyway for special subclass parameters, so the ';' seems ok. Or is there a hidden gotcha?

<tangential>
BTW, since a (name,value) tuple sequence also works, maybe it would be nice to be
able to construct such a sequence without quotes on the even-index elements. E.g., with
new keyword assoc:

    assoc(name0, val0, name1, val1, etc, etc) => [('name0',val0), ('name1',val1), ('etc', etc)]

This would provide the unquoted naming in an ordered context as well as the unordered keyword=value
pairings.

Or course, in source you can spell that
    zip('name0 name1 etc'.split(),
        [name0,name1,etc])
but that ugly for longer sequences where it's harder to match the pairs, not to mention
other considerations.
</tangential>
</musing>

Regards,
Bengt Richter
(copy to python-dev@python.org, per advice in c.l.p
"Subject: a clean way to define dictionary" thread.)

Regards,
Bengt Richter