[Python-ideas] Positional only arguments

[George Sakkis]

This was posted on python-dev two weeks ago [1] but didn't get very
far; probably python-ideas is a more appropriate list if this is to be
taken any further.

In short, PEP 3102 enables the declaration of keyword-only arguments,
making it easier for an API to grow in a backwards compatible way. As
Benji York, I see the utility of positional-only arguments, not just
for the sake of symmetry but for pragmatic reasons; in fact the same
reasons that serve as rationale to the keywords-only PEP.

I don't have any concrete proposal (syntactic or otherwise) at this
point, but I'd like to see this feature in Py3K even if I dislike the
specific syntax or other machinery that implements it (just like
decorators). For now it's worth just getting an idea of whether the
feature itself is deemed useful enough or the current status quo is
adequate.

George


[1] http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2006-May/064790.html



-- 
"If I have been able to see further, it was only because I stood on
the shoulders of million monkeys."

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