[Python-ideas] Namespace creation with syntax short form

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Fri, Feb 13, 2015 at 02:20:48PM +0100, Peter Otten wrote:

> a:1, b:2, c:3
> 
> has to create an object with three attributes "a", "b", and "c" and

This is ambiguous. Is it one object with three attributes, or a tuple of 
three namespace objects, each with one attribute?

 
> :a, :b, :c = x
> 
> works on any x with three attributes "a", "b", and "c". Implementationwise

I don't like the way that the colon jumps around from after the name to 
before the name. I don't like the way attributes are sometimes written 
with a dot and sometimes a colon:

x = a:1, b:2
process(x.a)
process(x:b)  # oops.


I think it is awfully mysterious syntax and beginners are going to have 
a terrible time working out when they should use dot and when they 
should use colon.



-- 
Steven