[Python-ideas] Allowing def to assign to anything

[Andrew Barnert]

On Oct 25, 2015, at 23:02, Alexander Walters <tritium-list at sdamon.com> wrote:
> 
> In my code, I write a lot of dispatch dictionaries (for lack of a switch statement, but I will not hold my breath for that).  In trying to make writing these dictionaries less annoying, I tend to use many lambdas.  I can let you guess at what problems that has resulted in.  Of course, the preferred way to write such dictionaries is by using a regular function, and adding that function to a dictionary.  This isn't exactly a problem - it works, and works well, but it is annoying to write, and leaves artifacts of those functions in module scope.  I propose a little bit of sugar to make this a little less annoying.
> 
> If `def` is allowed to assign to anything (anything that is legal at the left hand side of an = in that scope), annoying artifacts go away.  The syntax I propose should be backwards compatible.

Seems interesting.

What's the name of the defined function? For an attribution like "spam.eggs" you'd probably want it to be "eggs", and I guess for "spam['eggs']" as well, but what about "spam['two words']" or "spam[2]"?

I assume the qualname is just the name.

Also, would this go through the descriptor mechanism if you def an attribution?