[Python-ideas] PEP for executing a module in a package containing relative imports

[Steven Bethard]

On 4/20/07, Brett Cannon <brett at python.org> wrote:
> On 4/19/07, Steven Bethard <steven.bethard at gmail.com> wrote:
> > On 4/19/07, Brett Cannon <brett at python.org> wrote:
> > > Transition Plan
> > > ===============
> > >
> > > Using this solution will not work directly in Python 2.6.  Code is
> > > dependent upon the semantics of having ``__name__`` set to
> > > ``'__main__'``.  There is also the issue of pre-existing global
> > > variables in a module named ``__main__``.
> >
> > Could you explain a bit why __main__ couldn't be inserted into modules
> > before the module is actually executed? E.g. something like::
> >
> >     >>> module_text = '''\
> >     ... __main__ = 'foo'
> >     ... print __main__
> >     ... '''
> >     >>> import new
> >     >>> mod = new.module('mod')
> >     >>> mod.__main__ = True
> >     >>> exec module_text in mod.__dict__
> >     foo
> >     >>> mod.__main__
> >     'foo'
> >
> > I would have thought that if Python inserted __main__ before any of
> > the module contents got exec'd, it would be backwards compatible
> > because any use of __main__ would just overwrite the default one.
>
> That's right, and that is the problem.  That would mean if __main__
> was false but then overwritten by a function or something, it suddenly
> became true.  It isn't a problem in terms of whether the code will
> run, but whether the expected semantics will occur.

Sure, but I don't see how it's much different from anyone who writes::

    list = [foo, bar, baz]

and then later wonders why::

    list(obj)

gives a ``TypeError: 'list' object is not callable``.

If someone doesn't understand that the __main__ they defined at the
beginning of a module is going to be the same __main__ they use at the
end of the module, they're going to need to go do some reading about
how name binding works in Python anyway.

Of course, I definitely think it would be valuable to have a Py3K
deprecation warning to help users identify when they've made a silly
mistake like this.

(Note that the counter-proposal has the same problem, so this needs to
be resolved regardless of which approach gets taken.)

I'd really like there to be a way to write Python 3.0 compatible code
in Python 2.6 without having to run through 2to3. I think it's clear
that __main__ can be defined (at module-level or in the builtins)
without introducing any backwards compatibility problems right? Anyone
that doesn't want to use the Python 3.0 idiom can still write ``if
__name__ == '__main__'`` and it will continue to work in Python 2.X.
And anyone who does want to use the Python 3.0 idiom is probably using
the Py3K flag anyway, so if they make a stupid mistake, it'll get
caught pretty quickly.

Steve
-- 
I'm not *in*-sane. Indeed, I am so far *out* of sane that you appear a
tiny blip on the distant coast of sanity.
        --- Bucky Katt, Get Fuzzy