[Python-ideas] exception based conditional expression, similar to if-else conditional expression

[Jeff McAninch]

>
> -1, if this goes through it will be extended to all other compound  
> statements over time and we'll end up with 2 or 3 ways to do every  
> thing.
>
> A much better idea would be to find a way to make all compound  
> statements into expressions, future-proofing the decision and avoiding  
> the redundancy between "compound statement statement" and "compound  
> statement expression".
>   
Python's list of compound statements is pretty thin (just 7),
and 4 of these already have expression forms.

    for     ==> list comprehension, iterator expression
    while   ==> list comprehension, iterator
    if      ==> if-else conditional expression
    def     ==> already have lambda expressions

    try     ==> my proposal

    class   ==> Okay, so this one doesn't have a compound statement,
                   but where would you use it?
    with    ==> I haven't had an occasion to use with,
                   so can't think of an example where it could
                   be useful as a compound expression.

Seems to me try-except is kind of sticking out here, and I've
tried to show what I think are natural and common places where
a try-except expression would be appropriate.

-- 
==========================
Jeffrey E. McAninch, PhD
Physicist, X-2-IFD
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Phone: 505-667-0374
Email: mcaninch at lanl.gov
==========================