[Python-Dev] Re: switch statement

[Donovan Baarda]

On Mon, 2005-04-25 at 21:21 -0400, Brian Beck wrote:
> Donovan Baarda wrote:
> > Agreed. I don't find any switch syntaxes better than if/elif/else. Speed
> > benefits belong in implementation optimisations, not new bad syntax.
> 
> I posted this 'switch' recipe to the Cookbook this morning, it saves
> some typing over the if/elif/else construction, and people seemed to
> like it. Take a look:
> http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/410692

Very clever... you have shown that current python syntax is capable of
almost exactly replicating a C case statement.

My only problem is C case statements are ugly. A simple if/elif/else is
much more understandable to me. 

The main benefit in C of case statements is the compiler can optimise
them. This copy of a C case statement will be slower than an
if/elif/else, and just as ugly :-)

-- 
Donovan Baarda <abo at minkirri.apana.org.au>
http://minkirri.apana.org.au/~abo/