[Python-ideas] for/except/else syntax

[Guido van Rossum]

On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 9:06 PM, Bruce Leban <bruce at leapyear.org> wrote:
> Here you go:
> do_except = True
> for i in SEQ:
>   do_except = False
>   A
> else:
>   if not do_except:
>     C  # suite_if_loop_is_not_broken
> if do_except:
>   B  # suite_if_loop_body_is_not_executed

This doesn't keep the else semantics the same; currently in a for-loop
over an empty list, the else clause is still executed, but not in your
case, since do_except remains true. You may have meant this
intentionally but it means that adding 'except: pass' would change the
semantics of a for+else loop, which I find unexpected.

I now understand that you want the except clause executed when there
were zero iterations (your wording "not executed" didn't mean anything
to me). Naming it 'except' is a really bad idea though because it
makes people thing of exception handling.

I can somewhat sympathize with this desire, but I think there are
already plenty of ways to do this without adding new syntax. In
general the addition of new syntax ought to be a truly rare event, and
with the still pending transition to Python 3.x, doubly so.

> --- Bruce
>
>
> On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 8:53 PM, Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, Oct 6, 2009 at 8:46 PM, Bruce Leban <bruce at leapyear.org> wrote:
>> > Switching gears a bit, here's what I want:
>> >
>> > for_stmt ::= "for" target_list "in" expression_list ":" suite_loop_body
>> > ["except" ":" suite_if_loop_body_is_not_executed] ["else" ":"
>> > suite_if_loop_is_not_broken]
>> >
>> > The except and else appear in this order to make it clear that except
>> > takes
>> > precedence. If the loop body is not executed at all then both conditions
>> > are
>> > true but it obviously is only useful if except takes precedence.
>> > Comments?
>>
>> I'm sure it's obvious to you what the except clause should do, but it
>> isn't to me. :-( Assuming you're not proposing we change the meaning
>> of else in the absence of except, and that its meaning together with
>> except is a logical extension of this, can you show how we should
>> translate a for-loop with an except clause into current Python? Say,
>> what would I be writing today to get the exact effect of your proposed
>>
>> for i in SEQ:
>>  A
>> except:
>>  B
>> else:
>>  C
>>
>> ?
>>
>> --
>> --Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)
>
>



-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)