[Python-Dev] defaultdict proposal round three

[Raymond Hettinger]

[GvR]
> I'm not convinced by the argument
> that __contains__ should always return True

Me either.  I cannot think of a more useless behavior or one more likely to have 
unexpected consequences.  Besides, as Josiah pointed out, it is much easier for 
a subclass override to substitute always True return values than vice-versa.



> Alternative A: add a new method to the dict type with the semantics of
> __getattr__ from the last proposal

Did you mean __getitem__?  If not, then I'm missing what the current proposal 
is.



>, using default_factory if not None
> (except on_missing is inlined). This avoids the discussion about
> broken invariants, but one could argue that it adds to an already
> overly broad API.

+1

I prefer this approach over subclassing.  The mental load from an additional 
method is less than the load from a separate type (even a subclass).   Also, 
avoidance of invariant issues is a big plus.  Besides, if this allows 
setdefault() to be deprecated, it becomes an all-around win.



> - Even if the default_factory were passed to the constructor, it still
> ought to be a writable attribute so it can be introspected and
> modified. A defaultdict that can't change its default factory after
> its creation is less useful.

Right!  My preference is to have default_factory not passed to the constructor, 
so we are left with just one way to do it.  But that is a nit.



> - It would be unwise to have a default value that would be called if
> it was callable: what if I wanted the default to be a class instance
> that happens to have a __call__ method for unrelated reasons?
> Callability is an elusive propperty; APIs should not attempt to
> dynamically decide whether an argument is callable or not.

That makes sense, though it seems over-the-top to need a zero-factory for a 
multiset.

An alternative is to have two possible attributes:
  d.default_factory = list
or
  d.default_value = 0
with an exception being raised when both are defined (the test is done when the 
attribute is created, not when the lookup is performed).



Raymond