[Python-Dev] Proposal: defaultdict

[Nick Coghlan]

Adam Olsen wrote:
>> Over lunch with Alex Martelli, he proposed that a subclass of dict
>> with this behavior (but implemented in C) would be a good addition to
>> the language. It looks like it wouldn't be hard to implement. It could
>> be a builtin named defaultdict. The first, required, argument to the
>> constructor should be the default value. Remaining arguments (even
>> keyword args) are passed unchanged to the dict constructor.
> 
> -1 (atleast until you can explain why that's better than .getorset())

Because the "default default" is a fundamental characteristic of the default 
dictionary (meaning it works with normal indexing syntax), whereas "getorset" 
makes it a characteristic of the method call.

Besides, if there are going to be any method changes on normal dicts, I'd 
rather see a boolean third argument "set" to the get method.

That is (for a normal dict):

   def get(self, key, *args):
       set = False
       no_default = False
       if len(args) == 2:
           default, set = args
       elif args:
           default, = args
       else:
           no_default = True

       if key in self:
           return self[key]
       if no_default:
           raise KeyError(repr(key))
       if set:
           self[key] = default
       return default

Using Guido's original example:

   d.get(key, [], True).append(value)

I don't really think this is a replacement for defaultdict, though.

Cheers,
Nick.

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