[Python-Dev] anonymous blocks

[Phillip J. Eby]

At 01:00 PM 04/19/2005 -0700, Guido van Rossum wrote:
> > Interestingly, this syntax also works to do decoration, though it's not a
> > syntax that was ever proposed for that.  e.g.:
> >
> > foo = classmethod(foo) where:
> >      def foo(cls,x,y,z):
> >          # etc.
>
>This requires you to write foo three times, which defeats at least
>half of the purpose of decorators.

Well, you could do 'foo = classmethod(x) where: def x(...)', but that *is* 
kind of kludgy.  I'm just suggesting that if 'where:' had existed before 
decorators, people might have griped about the three-time typing or kludged 
around it, but there wouldn't likely have been strong support for creating 
a syntax "just" for decorators.

Indeed, if somebody had proposed this syntax during the decorator debates I 
would have supported it, but of course Bob Ippolito (whose PyObjC use cases 
involve really long function names) might have disagreed.


> > foo = property(get_foo,set_foo) where:
> >      def get_foo(self):
> >          # ...
> >      def set_foo(self):
> >          # ...
> >
> > I don't mind @decorators, of course, but maybe they wouldn't be needed 
> here.
>
>As I said before, I'm not sure why keeping get_foo etc. out of the
>class namespace is such a big deal.

That's a relatively minor thing, compared to being able to logically group 
them with the property, which I think enhances readability, even more than 
the sometimes-proposed '@property.getter' and '@property.setter' decorators.

Anyway, just to be clear, I don't personally think 'where:' is needed in 
Python 2.x; lambda and decorators suffice for all but the most Twisted use 
cases.  ;)  I was just viewing it as a potential alternative to lambda in Py3K.