[Python-ideas] More friendly access to chmod

[Chris Angelico]

On Mon, Jan 11, 2016 at 11:02 PM, Ram Rachum <ram at rachum.com> wrote:
> Here's my new preferred API. Assume that `path` is a `pathlib.Path` object.
>
>         Checking the chmod of the file:
>             int(path.chmod) # Get an int 393 which in octal is 0o611
>             oct(path.chmod) # Get a string '0o611'
>             str(path.chmod) # Get a string 'rw-r--r--'
>             repr(path.chmod) # Get a string '<Chmod: rw-r--r-- / 0o611>
>
>         Modifying the chmod of the file:
>             path.chmod(0o611) # Set chmod to 0o611 (for backward
> compatibility)
>             path.chmod = 0o611 # Set chmod to 0o611
>             path.chmod = 393 # Set chmod to 0o611, which is 393 in decimal
>             path.chmod = other_path.chmod # Set chmod to be the same as that
> of some other file
>             path.chmod = 'rw-r--r--' # Set chmod to 0o611
>             path.chmod += '--x--x--x' # Add execute permission to everyone
>             path.chmod -= '----rwx' # Remove all permissions from others
>
> I've chosen += and -=, despite the fact they're not set operations, because
> Python doesn't have __inand__. On an unrelated note, maybe we should have
> __inand__? (I mean x ^~= y)
>
> What do you think?
>

The one thing I'd do differently is call it "mode" or "permissions"
rather than "chmod" (CHange MODe), and drop the callability. If you're
going to do it as property assignment, making that property also be
callable feels awkward (plus it'll be a pain to implement). But
otherwise, yeah! Looks great!

ChrisA