[Python-Dev] PEP 457: Syntax For Positional-Only Parameters

[Ethan Furman]

On 10/08/2013 09:55 PM, Benjamin Peterson wrote:
> 2013/10/8 Ethan Furman <ethan at stoneleaf.us>:
>> On 10/08/2013 08:09 PM, Benjamin Peterson wrote:
>>>
>>> 2013/10/8 Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu>:
>>>>
>>>> On 10/8/2013 9:31 PM, Benjamin Peterson wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> 2013/10/8 Larry Hastings <larry at hastings.org>:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This PEP proposes a backwards-compatible syntax that should
>>>>>> permit implementing any builtin in pure Python code.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> This is rather too strong. You can certainly implement them; you just
>>>>> have to implement the argument parsing yourself. Python's
>>>>> call/signature syntax is already extremely expressive, and resolving
>>>>> call arguments to formal parameters is already a complicated (and
>>>>> slow) process. Implementing functions with such strange argument
>>>>> semantics is hardly common enough to justify the whole grouping syntax
>>>>> proposed in this PEP. -1 to that. I think I can live with "/", but
>>>>> YANGTNI still.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I am for having a way to succintly properly describe the signature of C
>>>> in
>>>> the manual and docstrings and help output. As it is now, the only safe
>>>> thing
>>>> to do, without trial and exception, is to assume positional only unless
>>>> one
>>>> knows otherwise.
>>>
>>>
>>> Having a nice syntax for the docs is quite different from implementing
>>> it in the language.
>>
>>
>> It would be nice, however, to have it implemented at some point.
>
> Why? It's quite complex and hardly useful.

Hmmm......  Let me get back to you on that.  ;)

--
~Ethan~