[Python-ideas] `to_file()` method for strings

[Chris Barker]

On Mon, Mar 28, 2016 at 9:32 AM, Émanuel Barry <vgr255 at live.ca> wrote:

> and I"m not sure how you would define "use" -- any i.o. opeartion? i.e.:
>
>
>
> infile = open("foo.txt", "r", close_after_use=True)
> first_line = infile.readline()
>
>
>
> now what is the state of infile? a closed file object?
>
> Sure. The keyword really could benefit from a better name, but it might
> solve some part of the issue. It doesn’t solve the mental model issue
> though, but to be fair, open() should always be wrapped in a context
> manager (IMO, anyway).
>

then we don't need anyting else :-)

but the name of the keyword is not that point here -- the issue is what
does it mean to "use" a file object? using "with" let's the user clearly
define, when they are done with the object.

and if a reference to the object is not stored anywhere, then you can be
sure the user doesn't expect to be abel to use it again.

but:

data = open("foo.txt", "r", close_after_use=True).read()

and

infile = open("foo.txt", "r", close_after_use=True)
data = infile.read()

look exactly the same to the file object itself, it has no idea when the
user is done with it.

in cPython, the reference counter knows that teh file object has no
references to it when that first line is done running, so it can clean up
and delete the object -- but without a reference counting system, who knows
when it will get cleaned up?

-CHB



-- 

Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
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