in need of some sorting help

[Scott David Daniels]

ianaré wrote:
> ....
> files.sort(key=lambda x: x.lower())
> files.sort(key=lambda x: os.path.dirname(x))

This is exactly why some of us hate lambda.  It encourages
long-way-around thinking.
      files.sort(key=lambda x: os.path.dirname(x))

is better written as:
      files.sort(key=os.path.dirname)

Learn to have your skin itch when you see:

      ... lambda name:<expr>(name)

And yes, I concede that it _is_ useful in your .lower expression.
It's not that lambda is bad, rather that it seems to encourages
this 'lambda x:f(x)' stuff.

--Scott David Daniels
scott.daniels at acm.org