[Python-ideas] Default arguments in Python - the return - running out of ideas but...

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Fri, 15 May 2009 04:13:23 pm Chris Rebert wrote:

> +1 on throwing a ValueError for non-hash()-able (and thus probably
> mutable) default argument values.

You're not serious are you? What could possibly be either surprising or 
objectionable about a function like this?

def f(data,substitutions = {}):
    ...
    name = data['name']
    obj.name = substitutions.get(name,name)
    ...


Example taken from:
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-list/2008-August/504811.html


-- 
Steven D'Aprano