[Python-ideas] Add additional special method lookups to math module

[Arnaud Delobelle]

On 9 November 2011 06:17, Case Van Horsen <casevh at gmail.com> wrote:
> Currently the functions round(), math.ceil(), math.floor(), and
> math.trunc() all check for the existence of a special method
> (__round__, __ceil__, __floor__, and __trunc__). Would it be possible
> to enhance the math and cmath modules to check for the existence of a
> special method for (almost) functions? For example, math.sin(obj)
> would first check for obj.__sin__.
>
> Rationale
>
> I'm in the final stages of adding support for the MPFR
> (multiple-precision floating point) and MPC (multiple-precision
> complex) libraries to the next-generation of gmpy, currently known as
> gmpy2. If the special method checks are added to the math and cmath
> modules, then the new mpfr() and mpc() types can easily substitute for
> the existing float/complex types in code that uses the math or cmath
> module.
>
> Thoughts?

I have been faced with a very similar situation recently.

I am adding Python scripting capability to a Dynamic Geometry
application called GeoGebra (www.geogebra.org).  GeoGebra has its own
numeric types.  I have wrapped them in Python classes so that all
arithmetic operations work correctly on them but it would be a big
improvement if the standard analytic functions in the math module
could work on them as well.

So this would be a welcome addition for me (although, as GeoGebra is a
Java application, I am using Jython, so I would have to wait a while
to see this coming my way :).

-- 
Arnaud