[Python-Dev] Iterating over objects of unknown length

[Greg Ewing]

Oleg Broytmann wrote:
> Hello!
> 
>    (This seems like a "developing with Python" question and partially it is
> but please read on.)
> 
>    I have a class that represents SQL queries. Instances of the class can
> be iterated over. ... users of
> the class sometimes write
> 
> if sqlQuery:
>    for row in sqlQuery: ...
> else:
>    # no rows
> 
> To prevent users from writing such code the class implements __nonzero__()
> that always raises an exception.

I'm not sure I like that idea. It's common practice to write
'if x:' as a shorthand for 'if x is not None:' when it's known
that x is an object that doesn't have a notion of emptiness.
A __nonzero__ that always raises an exception just to spite
you interferes with that.

Another thing is that any code doing "if x" to test for
emptiness is clearly expecting x to be a sequence, *not*
an iterator, and you've violated the contract by passing
it one. This is what you may be running into with the libraries
you mention.

Generally I think it's a bad idea to try to protect people
from themselves when doing so can interfere with legitimate
usage.

-- 
Greg Ewing, Computer Science Dept, +--------------------------------------+
University of Canterbury,	   | Carpe post meridiem!          	  |
Christchurch, New Zealand	   | (I'm not a morning person.)          |
greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz	   +--------------------------------------+