[Python-ideas] Define a method or function attribute outside of a class with the dot operator

[David Mertz]

On Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 5:48 PM, Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info>
wrote:

> # the clean proposed way:
> def instance.method(self):  # or MyClass.method
>     ...
>
> But I don't think that we can reasonably argue that the suggested syntax
> isn't a clear, non-trivial win over the status quo, not unless we're
> also going to argue that introducing decorator syntax was a waste of
> time.
>

I argue it's not a win specifically because we HAVE decorators already.  My
off-the-cuff `@attach_to(thing)` decorator factory missed some details one
would want, I now recognize.  We might want to attach a `.__class__`
attribute, futz with `.__qualname__` and a few other things Nick points
to.  You've been spelling this as `@inject_method(Class)`.

Apart from the name of the decorator, the idea of having a *uniform* syntax
for "put the decoration" at the top because the function might be long" is
an advantage.  I agree that decorators are just syntax sugar, of course.
But the new syntax sugar is just *too duplicative* of that we already have.

Moreover, I think your spelling of what it is sugar for is slightly off.
The `del method` at the end feels wrong to me.  Specifically, in the
example I repeated of attaching callbacks, the reason I'd want a function
defined outside any particular class (or instance) scope is because I might
want to use the same function as a method of various classes.  An
`attach_to()` decorator can leave the defined function untouched, and only
muck with the version that gets attached.  Hence you can even chain
decorators:

@attach_to(this_menu)
@attach_to(that_menu)
def callback(self, ...):
    ...


Then later on:

yet_another_menu.callback = callback



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