[Python-Dev] Python 3.0: can we make dbm's .keys() return an iterator?

[Gerhard Häring]

As far as I can see, the specification of the dbm interface is the 
module docstring in dbm/__init__.py, which reads:

"""
[...]
It has the following interface (key and data are strings):

         d[key] = data   # store data at key (may override data at
                         # existing key)
         data = d[key]   # retrieve data at key (raise KeyError if no
                         # such key)
         del d[key]      # delete data stored at key (raises KeyError
                         # if no such key)
         flag = key in d # true if the key exists
         list = d.keys() # return a list of all existing keys (slow!)
"""

Now I thought that in Python 3.0, keys(), values() and friends should 
return iterators. Can we change at least the specification of the dbm 
module? We could then later in 3.1 change the implementations to return 
iterators instead of lists, too.

I stumbled upon it cos I'm trying to help Skip with the SQLite-based 
implementation.

-- Gerhard