[Python-Dev] Help on choosing a PEP to volunteer on it : 308, 328 or 343

[Thomas Wouters]

On Wed, Feb 08, 2006 at 01:39:34PM -0800, Brett Cannon wrote:
> On 2/8/06, Joao Macaiba <joao.macaiba at gmail.com> wrote:

> > 1. For a newbie in the Python core development, what is the best PEP to
> > begin with ?

> Wild guess?  308, but that still requires changing the grammar and
> editing the AST compiler.  328 will need playing with the import code
> which is known to be hairy.  343 has the same needs as 308, but I bet
> would be more complicated.

Joao brought up an interesting point on #python on freenode, though... Is
there any documentation regarding the AST code? I started fiddling with it
just to get to know it, adding some weird syntax just for the hell of it,
and I *think* I understand how the AST is supposed to work. I haven't gotten
around to actually coding it, though (just like I haven't gotten around to
PEP 13 ;) so maybe I have it all wrong. A short description of the
principles and design choices would be nice, maybe with a paragraph on how
to add new syntax constructs. How tightly should the AST follow the grammar,
for instance?

(I pointed Joao to the augmented assignment patch for 2.0, which doesn't say
anything about the AST but should be helpful hints in his quest to
understand Python's internals. Lord knows that's how I learned it... By the
time he groks it all, hopefully someone can help him with the AST parts ;)

-- 
Thomas Wouters <thomas at xs4all.net>

Hi! I'm a .signature virus! copy me into your .signature file to help me spread!