Strong/weak typing

[Jorgen Grahn]

On Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:47:04 -0400, Mel <mwilson at the-wire.com> wrote:
> MartinRinehart at gmail.com wrote:
>
>> I'm writing Python as if it were strongly typed, never recycling a
>> name to hold a type other than the original type.
>> 
>> Is this good software engineering practice, or am I missing something
>> Pythonic?
>
> Nothing wrong with what you're doing.  I've never come up with a really
> convincing reason to recycle names.  Possibly something that follows the
> evolution of the data:
>
> middle_name = raw_input ('Name?')
> middle_name = middle_name.split()
> middle_name = middle_name[1]
>
> It works, but I don't like it enough to actually use it.

I don't like that there are two lines where 'middle_name' isn't
actually a middle name.  It confuses me, even though I know that
everything is ok after the third line.

I reuse names though, mostly because I don't want to invent additional
names which would feel "overburdened".  I like this example better:

   months = range(1, 13)
   # do something with the months-as-numbers list,
   # and then:
   months = [ monthname(x) for x in months ]
   # do something where we only need the names

Your comment "something that follows the evolution of the data"
applies here.  It's the same data, but refined to a more usable form.

It also kills off an object which I have decided I will not need
further down, so it kind of documents that decision.

I only do this very locally, like in a simple function.

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@        Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu
\X/     snipabacken.se>          R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!