[Python-ideas] set.add could return True or False

[Andrew Svetlov]

You still can get race condition:

if b.add(a):
   # some thread removes a from b before do_c call...
   do_c()

Explicit lock is still required for your case.

On Wed, Mar 14, 2012 at 10:36 AM, Matt Joiner <anacrolix at gmail.com> wrote:
> set.add(x) could return True if x was added to the set, and False if x
> was already in the set.
>
> Adding an element that is already present often constitutes an error in my code.
>
> As I understand, set.add is an atomic operation. Having set.add return
> a boolean will also allow EAFP-style code with regard to handling
> duplicates, the long winded form of which is currently:
>
> if a not in b:
>    b.add(a) <-- race condition
>    do_c()
>
> Which can be improved to:
>
> if b.add(a):
>    do_c()
>
> Advantages:
>  * Very common code pattern.
>  * More concise.
>  * Allows interpreter atomicity to be exploited, often removing the
> need for additional locking.
>  * Faster because it avoids double contain check, and can avoid locking.
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