[Python-Dev] PEP 343 - Abstract Block Redux

[Nick Coghlan]

Fredrik Lundh wrote:
> unlike the original design, all you get from this is
> the ability to add try/finally blocks to your code
> without ever writing a try/finally-clause (neither
> in your code or in the block controller).  that
> doesn't strike me as especially pythonic.

I think the key benefit relates to the fact that correctly written resource 
management code currently has to be split it into two pieces - the first piece 
before the try block (e.g. 'lock.acquire()', 'f = open()'), and the latter in 
the finally clause (e.g. 'lock.release()', 'f.close()').

PEP 343 (like PEP 310 before it) makes it possible to define the correct 
resource management *once*, and then invoke it via a 'with' (or 'do') statement.

Instead of having to check for "is this file closed properly?", as soon as you 
write or see "with open(filename) as f:", you *know* that that file is going to 
be closed correctly.

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
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