[Python-ideas] PEP 572: about the operator precedence of :=

[Guido van Rossum]

On Thu, May 10, 2018 at 3:32 AM, Terry Reedy <tjreedy at udel.edu> wrote:

> On 5/9/2018 11:33 PM, Guido van Rossum wrote:
>
> I now think that the best way out is to rule `:=` in the top level
>> expression of an expression statement completely
>>
>
> I would like to be able to interactively enter
>
> >>> a: = f(2,4)
>
> to have 'a' echoed as well as bound.
>

I hope that's a typo (the can be no space between `:` and `=`, since `:=`
is a single token, just like `<=').

We *could* make this work while still ruling out the ambiguous cases (which
involve top-level commas on either side of the assignment expression).

OTOH I worry that this particular feature would cause `:=` to become part
of many a teacher's bag of tricks to show off, exposing users to it way too
early for any curriculum, and it might then elicit complaints that

>>> def f():
...     a := 5
...
>>> f()
>>>

doesn't print `5`.

So all in all I'm not sure I think this is important enough to support, and
the rule "Use `:=` in expressions, not as a top level assignment" seems
easier to explain and understand.

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (python.org/~guido)
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