[Python-ideas] Enhance definition of functions

[David Mertz]

On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 11:19 AM, Musical Notation
<musicdenotation at gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes, I know that multiline lambda will never be implemented in Python, but
> in many languages it is possible to write an anonymous function without
> using lambda at all.
> In JavaScript:
> Instead of "function <name>(<variables>){code}" you can write "var name;
> name=function(<variables>){code}"

This seems like an odd misunderstanding to me.  Of course Javascript
has a lambda, it just happens to spell it 'f-u-n-c-t-i-o-n' rather
than like 'l-a-m-b-d-a'.  As with every other object, a lambda object
can be assigned a name in Javascript... although it need not be, of
course.  You can also just use a Javascript lambda inline anywhere a
code object makes sense, e.g.:

  higher_order_func(function(x,y){return x+y}, 2, 3);

Of course, if you wanted to, you could have written:

  add2 = function(x,y){return x+y};
  higher_order_func(add2, 2, 3);

Or likewise:

  function add2(x,y){return x+y};
  higher_order_func(add2, 2, 3);

Other than not allowing full blocks in lambdas, Python is exactly the same.

  higher_order_func(lambda x,y: x+y, 2, 3)

And as with Javascript, you *could* give the passed function a name with:

  add2 = lambda x,y: x+y

Or with:

  def add2(x,y):
      return x+y

It sounds like what you are asking for--after saying Python will never
have it--is multi-line, full-block, lambdas in Python.  For that, it
has been discussed a lot of times, and no one has found a syntax that
feel widely acceptable.


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