[Python-Dev] Switch statement

[Guido van Rossum]

On 6/22/06, Georg Brandl <g.brandl at gmx.net> wrote:
> Guido van Rossum wrote:
> > On 6/22/06, Georg Brandl <g.brandl at gmx.net> wrote:
> >> Guido van Rossum wrote:
> >>
> >> >> I've also been wondering whether the 'case' keyword is really necessary?
> >> >>   Would any ambiguities or other parsing problems arise if you wrote:
> >> >>
> >> >>      switch x:
> >> >>          1: foo(x)
> >> >>         2: bar(x)
> >> >>
> >> >> It is debatable whether this is more or less readable, but it seemed
> >> >> like an interesting question for the language lawyers.
> >> >
> >> > That's no problem for the parser, as long as the expressions are
> >> > indented. ABC did this.
> >> >
> >> > But I think I like an explicit case keyword better; it gives a better
> >> > error message if the indentation is forgotten.
> >>
> >> It also overthrows the notion that suites are started by statements, not
> >> by expressions.
> >
> > I'm not sure I care about that. Do you use this in teaching? How does
> > it help you?
>
> I just realized that my post could be misunderstood: The sentence referred
> to the "case"-less form. (And it's just a "feeling" thing)

I understood that. And I don't have the same feeling. :-)

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)