[Python-ideas] PEP 526: why ClassVar instead of ClassAttr?

[Steven D'Aprano]

Since PEP 526 is already provisionally accepted, it may be too late to 
bring this up, but I have a question and suggestion about the name 
ClassVar. I've read the PEP but didn't see an answer or rejection to 
this.

https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0526/

Why choose ClassVar over ClassAttr when the usual terminology used in 
the Python community is class and instance *attributes* rather than 
"variables"?

I understand that, in a sense, attributes are variables (unless they're 
constants *wink*) but the term "class variable" sounds very Java-esque 
rather than Pythonic. And it is an uncomfortable fit with a language 
like Python where classes are first class values like ints, strings, 
floats etc:

- we talk about a string variable meaning a variable holding a string;
- a float variable is a variable holding a float;
- a list variable is a variable holding a list;
- so a class variable ought to be a variable holding a class.

I get the intention: we have local, global, instance and class 
variables. But I feel that grouping instance/class with local/global is 
too abstract and "computer sciencey": in practice, instance/class vars 
are used in ways which are different enough from global/local vars that 
they deserve a different name: attributes, members or properties are 
common choices.

(Python of course uses attributes, and properties for a particular kind 
of computed attribute.)

This introduces split terminology: we now talk about annotating class 
attributes with ClassVar. Since there's no GlobalVar, NonLocalVar or 
LocalVar, there doesn't seem to be any good reason to stick with the 
FooVar naming system.

Can we change the annotation to ClassAttr instead?



-- 
Steve