reSTify PEP 340 (#321)
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pep-0340.txt
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pep-0340.txt
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@ -5,131 +5,137 @@ Last-Modified: $Date$
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Author: Guido van Rossum
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Status: Rejected
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Type: Standards Track
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Content-Type: text/plain
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Content-Type: text/x-rst
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Created: 27-Apr-2005
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Post-History:
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Introduction
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============
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This PEP proposes a new type of compound statement which can be
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used for resource management purposes. The new statement type
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is provisionally called the block-statement because the keyword
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to be used has not yet been chosen.
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This PEP proposes a new type of compound statement which can be
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used for resource management purposes. The new statement type
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is provisionally called the block-statement because the keyword
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to be used has not yet been chosen.
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This PEP competes with several other PEPs: PEP 288 (Generators
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Attributes and Exceptions; only the second part), PEP 310
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(Reliable Acquisition/Release Pairs), and PEP 325
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(Resource-Release Support for Generators).
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This PEP competes with several other PEPs: PEP 288 (Generators
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Attributes and Exceptions; only the second part), PEP 310
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(Reliable Acquisition/Release Pairs), and PEP 325
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(Resource-Release Support for Generators).
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I should clarify that using a generator to "drive" a block
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statement is really a separable proposal; with just the definition
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of the block statement from the PEP you could implement all the
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examples using a class (similar to example 6, which is easily
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turned into a template). But the key idea is using a generator to
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drive a block statement; the rest is elaboration, so I'd like to
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keep these two parts together.
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I should clarify that using a generator to "drive" a block
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statement is really a separable proposal; with just the definition
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of the block statement from the PEP you could implement all the
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examples using a class (similar to example 6, which is easily
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turned into a template). But the key idea is using a generator to
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drive a block statement; the rest is elaboration, so I'd like to
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keep these two parts together.
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(PEP 342, Enhanced Iterators, was originally a part of this PEP;
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but the two proposals are really independent and with Steven
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Bethard's help I have moved it to a separate PEP.)
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(PEP 342, Enhanced Iterators, was originally a part of this PEP;
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but the two proposals are really independent and with Steven
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Bethard's help I have moved it to a separate PEP.)
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Rejection Notice
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================
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I am rejecting this PEP in favor of PEP 343. See the motivational
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section in that PEP for the reasoning behind this rejection. GvR.
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I am rejecting this PEP in favor of PEP 343. See the motivational
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section in that PEP for the reasoning behind this rejection. GvR.
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Motivation and Summary
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======================
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(Thanks to Shane Hathaway -- Hi Shane!)
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(Thanks to Shane Hathaway -- Hi Shane!)
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Good programmers move commonly used code into reusable functions.
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Sometimes, however, patterns arise in the structure of the
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functions rather than the actual sequence of statements. For
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example, many functions acquire a lock, execute some code specific
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to that function, and unconditionally release the lock. Repeating
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the locking code in every function that uses it is error prone and
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makes refactoring difficult.
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Good programmers move commonly used code into reusable functions.
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Sometimes, however, patterns arise in the structure of the
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functions rather than the actual sequence of statements. For
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example, many functions acquire a lock, execute some code specific
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to that function, and unconditionally release the lock. Repeating
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the locking code in every function that uses it is error prone and
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makes refactoring difficult.
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Block statements provide a mechanism for encapsulating patterns of
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structure. Code inside the block statement runs under the control
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of an object called a block iterator. Simple block iterators
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execute code before and after the code inside the block statement.
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Block iterators also have the opportunity to execute the
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controlled code more than once (or not at all), catch exceptions,
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or receive data from the body of the block statement.
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Block statements provide a mechanism for encapsulating patterns of
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structure. Code inside the block statement runs under the control
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of an object called a block iterator. Simple block iterators
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execute code before and after the code inside the block statement.
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Block iterators also have the opportunity to execute the
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controlled code more than once (or not at all), catch exceptions,
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or receive data from the body of the block statement.
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A convenient way to write block iterators is to write a generator
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(PEP 255). A generator looks a lot like a Python function, but
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instead of returning a value immediately, generators pause their
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execution at "yield" statements. When a generator is used as a
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block iterator, the yield statement tells the Python interpreter
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to suspend the block iterator, execute the block statement body,
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and resume the block iterator when the body has executed.
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A convenient way to write block iterators is to write a generator
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(PEP 255). A generator looks a lot like a Python function, but
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instead of returning a value immediately, generators pause their
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execution at "yield" statements. When a generator is used as a
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block iterator, the yield statement tells the Python interpreter
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to suspend the block iterator, execute the block statement body,
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and resume the block iterator when the body has executed.
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The Python interpreter behaves as follows when it encounters a
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block statement based on a generator. First, the interpreter
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instantiates the generator and begins executing it. The generator
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does setup work appropriate to the pattern it encapsulates, such
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as acquiring a lock, opening a file, starting a database
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transaction, or starting a loop. Then the generator yields
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execution to the body of the block statement using a yield
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statement. When the block statement body completes, raises an
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uncaught exception, or sends data back to the generator using a
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continue statement, the generator resumes. At this point, the
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generator can either clean up and stop or yield again, causing the
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block statement body to execute again. When the generator
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finishes, the interpreter leaves the block statement.
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The Python interpreter behaves as follows when it encounters a
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block statement based on a generator. First, the interpreter
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instantiates the generator and begins executing it. The generator
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does setup work appropriate to the pattern it encapsulates, such
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as acquiring a lock, opening a file, starting a database
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transaction, or starting a loop. Then the generator yields
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execution to the body of the block statement using a yield
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statement. When the block statement body completes, raises an
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uncaught exception, or sends data back to the generator using a
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continue statement, the generator resumes. At this point, the
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generator can either clean up and stop or yield again, causing the
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block statement body to execute again. When the generator
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finishes, the interpreter leaves the block statement.
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Use Cases
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=========
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See the Examples section near the end.
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See the Examples section near the end.
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Specification: the __exit__() Method
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====================================
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An optional new method for iterators is proposed, called
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__exit__(). It takes up to three arguments which correspond to
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the three "arguments" to the raise-statement: type, value, and
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traceback. If all three arguments are None, sys.exc_info() may be
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consulted to provide suitable default values.
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An optional new method for iterators is proposed, called
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``__exit__()``. It takes up to three arguments which correspond to
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the three "arguments" to the raise-statement: type, value, and
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traceback. If all three arguments are ``None``, ``sys.exc_info()`` may be
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consulted to provide suitable default values.
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Specification: the Anonymous Block Statement
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============================================
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A new statement is proposed with the syntax
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A new statement is proposed with the syntax::
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block EXPR1 as VAR1:
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BLOCK1
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Here, 'block' and 'as' are new keywords; EXPR1 is an arbitrary
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expression (but not an expression-list) and VAR1 is an arbitrary
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assignment target (which may be a comma-separated list).
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Here, 'block' and 'as' are new keywords; ``EXPR1`` is an arbitrary
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expression (but not an expression-list) and ``VAR1`` is an arbitrary
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assignment target (which may be a comma-separated list).
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The "as VAR1" part is optional; if omitted, the assignments to
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VAR1 in the translation below are omitted (but the expressions
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assigned are still evaluated!).
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The "as VAR1" part is optional; if omitted, the assignments to
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VAR1 in the translation below are omitted (but the expressions
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assigned are still evaluated!).
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The choice of the 'block' keyword is contentious; many
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alternatives have been proposed, including not to use a keyword at
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all (which I actually like). PEP 310 uses 'with' for similar
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semantics, but I would like to reserve that for a with-statement
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similar to the one found in Pascal and VB. (Though I just found
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that the C# designers don't like 'with' [2], and I have to agree
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with their reasoning.) To sidestep this issue momentarily I'm
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using 'block' until we can agree on the right keyword, if any.
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The choice of the 'block' keyword is contentious; many
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alternatives have been proposed, including not to use a keyword at
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all (which I actually like). PEP 310 uses 'with' for similar
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semantics, but I would like to reserve that for a with-statement
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similar to the one found in Pascal and VB. (Though I just found
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that the C# designers don't like 'with' [2]_, and I have to agree
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with their reasoning.) To sidestep this issue momentarily I'm
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using 'block' until we can agree on the right keyword, if any.
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Note that the 'as' keyword is not contentious (it will finally be
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elevated to proper keyword status).
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Note that the 'as' keyword is not contentious (it will finally be
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elevated to proper keyword status).
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Note that it is up to the iterator to decide whether a
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block-statement represents a loop with multiple iterations; in the
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most common use case BLOCK1 is executed exactly once. To the
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parser, however, it is always a loop; break and continue return
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transfer to the block's iterator (see below for details).
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Note that it is up to the iterator to decide whether a
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block-statement represents a loop with multiple iterations; in the
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most common use case ``BLOCK1`` is executed exactly once. To the
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parser, however, it is always a loop; break and continue return
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transfer to the block's iterator (see below for details).
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The translation is subtly different from a for-loop: iter() is
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not called, so EXPR1 should already be an iterator (not just an
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iterable); and the iterator is guaranteed to be notified when
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the block-statement is left, regardless if this is due to a
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break, return or exception:
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The translation is subtly different from a for-loop: ``iter()`` is
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not called, so ``EXPR1`` should already be an iterator (not just an
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iterable); and the iterator is guaranteed to be notified when
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the block-statement is left, regardless if this is due to a
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break, return or exception::
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itr = EXPR1 # The iterator
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ret = False # True if a return statement is active
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@ -156,109 +162,111 @@ Specification: the Anonymous Block Statement
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except:
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exc = sys.exc_info()
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(However, the variables 'itr' etc. are not user-visible and the
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built-in names used cannot be overridden by the user.)
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(However, the variables 'itr' etc. are not user-visible and the
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built-in names used cannot be overridden by the user.)
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Inside BLOCK1, the following special translations apply:
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Inside ``BLOCK1``, the following special translations apply:
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- "break" is always legal; it is translated into:
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- "break" is always legal; it is translated into::
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exc = (StopIteration, None, None)
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continue
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- "return EXPR3" is only legal when the block-statement is
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contained in a function definition; it is translated into:
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- "return EXPR3" is only legal when the block-statement is
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contained in a function definition; it is translated into::
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exc = (StopIteration, None, None)
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ret = True
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val = EXPR3
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continue
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The net effect is that break and return behave much the same as
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if the block-statement were a for-loop, except that the iterator
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gets a chance at resource cleanup before the block-statement is
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left, through the optional __exit__() method. The iterator also
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gets a chance if the block-statement is left through raising an
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exception. If the iterator doesn't have an __exit__() method,
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there is no difference with a for-loop (except that a for-loop
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calls iter() on EXPR1).
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The net effect is that break and return behave much the same as
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if the block-statement were a for-loop, except that the iterator
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gets a chance at resource cleanup before the block-statement is
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left, through the optional ``__exit__()`` method. The iterator also
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gets a chance if the block-statement is left through raising an
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exception. If the iterator doesn't have an ``__exit__()`` method,
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there is no difference with a for-loop (except that a for-loop
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calls ``iter()`` on ``EXPR1``).
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Note that a yield-statement in a block-statement is not treated
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differently. It suspends the function containing the block
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*without* notifying the block's iterator. The block's iterator is
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entirely unaware of this yield, since the local control flow
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doesn't actually leave the block. In other words, it is *not*
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like a break or return statement. When the loop that was resumed
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by the yield calls next(), the block is resumed right after the
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yield. (See example 7 below.) The generator finalization
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semantics described below guarantee (within the limitations of all
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finalization semantics) that the block will be resumed eventually.
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Note that a yield-statement in a block-statement is not treated
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differently. It suspends the function containing the block
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**without** notifying the block's iterator. The block's iterator is
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entirely unaware of this yield, since the local control flow
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doesn't actually leave the block. In other words, it is **not**
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like a break or return statement. When the loop that was resumed
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by the yield calls ``next()``, the block is resumed right after the
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yield. (See example 7 below.) The generator finalization
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semantics described below guarantee (within the limitations of all
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finalization semantics) that the block will be resumed eventually.
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Unlike the for-loop, the block-statement does not have an
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else-clause. I think it would be confusing, and emphasize the
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"loopiness" of the block-statement, while I want to emphasize its
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*difference* from a for-loop. In addition, there are several
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possible semantics for an else-clause, and only a very weak use
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case.
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Unlike the for-loop, the block-statement does not have an
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else-clause. I think it would be confusing, and emphasize the
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"loopiness" of the block-statement, while I want to emphasize its
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**difference** from a for-loop. In addition, there are several
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possible semantics for an else-clause, and only a very weak use
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case.
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Specification: Generator Exit Handling
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======================================
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Generators will implement the new __exit__() method API.
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Generators will implement the new ``__exit__()`` method API.
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Generators will be allowed to have a yield statement inside a
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try-finally statement.
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Generators will be allowed to have a ``yield`` statement inside a
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try-finally statement.
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The expression argument to the yield-statement will become
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optional (defaulting to None).
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The expression argument to the yield-statement will become
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optional (defaulting to None).
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When __exit__() is called, the generator is resumed but at the
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point of the yield-statement the exception represented by the
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__exit__ argument(s) is raised. The generator may re-raise this
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exception, raise another exception, or yield another value,
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except that if the exception passed in to __exit__() was
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StopIteration, it ought to raise StopIteration (otherwise the
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effect would be that a break is turned into continue, which is
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unexpected at least). When the *initial* call resuming the
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generator is an __exit__() call instead of a next() call, the
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generator's execution is aborted and the exception is re-raised
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without passing control to the generator's body.
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When ``__exit__()`` is called, the generator is resumed but at the
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point of the yield-statement the exception represented by the
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``__exit__`` argument(s) is raised. The generator may re-raise this
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exception, raise another exception, or yield another value,
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except that if the exception passed in to ``__exit__()`` was
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StopIteration, it ought to raise StopIteration (otherwise the
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effect would be that a break is turned into continue, which is
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unexpected at least). When the **initial** call resuming the
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generator is an ``__exit__()`` call instead of a ``next()`` call, the
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generator's execution is aborted and the exception is re-raised
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without passing control to the generator's body.
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When a generator that has not yet terminated is garbage-collected
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(either through reference counting or by the cyclical garbage
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collector), its __exit__() method is called once with
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StopIteration as its first argument. Together with the
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requirement that a generator ought to raise StopIteration when
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__exit__() is called with StopIteration, this guarantees the
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eventual activation of any finally-clauses that were active when
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the generator was last suspended. Of course, under certain
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circumstances the generator may never be garbage-collected. This
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is no different than the guarantees that are made about finalizers
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(__del__() methods) of other objects.
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When a generator that has not yet terminated is garbage-collected
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(either through reference counting or by the cyclical garbage
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collector), its ``__exit__()`` method is called once with
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StopIteration as its first argument. Together with the
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requirement that a generator ought to raise StopIteration when
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``__exit__()`` is called with StopIteration, this guarantees the
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eventual activation of any finally-clauses that were active when
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the generator was last suspended. Of course, under certain
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circumstances the generator may never be garbage-collected. This
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is no different than the guarantees that are made about finalizers
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(``__del__()`` methods) of other objects.
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Alternatives Considered and Rejected
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====================================
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- Many alternatives have been proposed for 'block'. I haven't
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- Many alternatives have been proposed for 'block'. I haven't
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seen a proposal for another keyword that I like better than
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'block' yet. Alas, 'block' is also not a good choice; it is a
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rather popular name for variables, arguments and methods.
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Perhaps 'with' is the best choice after all?
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- Instead of trying to pick the ideal keyword, the block-statement
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could simply have the form:
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- Instead of trying to pick the ideal keyword, the block-statement
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could simply have the form::
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EXPR1 as VAR1:
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BLOCK1
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This is at first attractive because, together with a good choice
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of function names (like those in the Examples section below)
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used in EXPR1, it reads well, and feels like a "user-defined
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used in ``EXPR1``, it reads well, and feels like a "user-defined
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statement". And yet, it makes me (and many others)
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uncomfortable; without a keyword the syntax is very "bland",
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difficult to look up in a manual (remember that 'as' is
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optional), and it makes the meaning of break and continue in the
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block-statement even more confusing.
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- Phillip Eby has proposed to have the block-statement use
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- Phillip Eby has proposed to have the block-statement use
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an entirely different API than the for-loop, to differentiate
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between the two. A generator would have to be wrapped in a
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decorator to make it support the block API. IMO this adds more
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@ -266,47 +274,48 @@ Alternatives Considered and Rejected
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that the block-statement is conceptually a loop -- it supports
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break and continue, after all.
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- This keeps getting proposed: "block VAR1 = EXPR1" instead of
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- This keeps getting proposed: "block VAR1 = EXPR1" instead of
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"block EXPR1 as VAR1". That would be very misleading, since
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VAR1 does *not* get assigned the value of EXPR1; EXPR1 results
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VAR1 does **not** get assigned the value of EXPR1; EXPR1 results
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in a generator which is assigned to an internal variable, and
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VAR1 is the value returned by successive calls to the __next__()
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VAR1 is the value returned by successive calls to the ``__next__()``
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method of that iterator.
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- Why not change the translation to apply iter(EXPR1)? All the
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- Why not change the translation to apply ``iter(EXPR1)``? All the
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examples would continue to work. But this makes the
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block-statement *more* like a for-loop, while the emphasis ought
|
||||
to be on the *difference* between the two. Not calling iter()
|
||||
block-statement **more** like a for-loop, while the emphasis ought
|
||||
to be on the **difference** between the two. Not calling ``iter()``
|
||||
catches a bunch of misunderstandings, like using a sequence as
|
||||
EXPR1.
|
||||
``EXPR1``.
|
||||
|
||||
Comparison to Thunks
|
||||
====================
|
||||
|
||||
Alternative semantics proposed for the block-statement turn the
|
||||
block into a thunk (an anonymous function that blends into the
|
||||
containing scope).
|
||||
Alternative semantics proposed for the block-statement turn the
|
||||
block into a thunk (an anonymous function that blends into the
|
||||
containing scope).
|
||||
|
||||
The main advantage of thunks that I can see is that you can save
|
||||
the thunk for later, like a callback for a button widget (the
|
||||
thunk then becomes a closure). You can't use a yield-based block
|
||||
for that (except in Ruby, which uses yield syntax with a
|
||||
thunk-based implementation). But I have to say that I almost see
|
||||
this as an advantage: I think I'd be slightly uncomfortable seeing
|
||||
a block and not knowing whether it will be executed in the normal
|
||||
control flow or later. Defining an explicit nested function for
|
||||
that purpose doesn't have this problem for me, because I already
|
||||
know that the 'def' keyword means its body is executed later.
|
||||
The main advantage of thunks that I can see is that you can save
|
||||
the thunk for later, like a callback for a button widget (the
|
||||
thunk then becomes a closure). You can't use a yield-based block
|
||||
for that (except in Ruby, which uses yield syntax with a
|
||||
thunk-based implementation). But I have to say that I almost see
|
||||
this as an advantage: I think I'd be slightly uncomfortable seeing
|
||||
a block and not knowing whether it will be executed in the normal
|
||||
control flow or later. Defining an explicit nested function for
|
||||
that purpose doesn't have this problem for me, because I already
|
||||
know that the 'def' keyword means its body is executed later.
|
||||
|
||||
The other problem with thunks is that once we think of them as the
|
||||
anonymous functions they are, we're pretty much forced to say that
|
||||
a return statement in a thunk returns from the thunk rather than
|
||||
from the containing function. Doing it any other way would cause
|
||||
major weirdness when the thunk were to survive its containing
|
||||
function as a closure (perhaps continuations would help, but I'm
|
||||
not about to go there :-).
|
||||
The other problem with thunks is that once we think of them as the
|
||||
anonymous functions they are, we're pretty much forced to say that
|
||||
a return statement in a thunk returns from the thunk rather than
|
||||
from the containing function. Doing it any other way would cause
|
||||
major weirdness when the thunk were to survive its containing
|
||||
function as a closure (perhaps continuations would help, but I'm
|
||||
not about to go there :-).
|
||||
|
||||
But then an IMO important use case for the resource cleanup
|
||||
template pattern is lost. I routinely write code like this:
|
||||
But then an IMO important use case for the resource cleanup
|
||||
template pattern is lost. I routinely write code like this::
|
||||
|
||||
def findSomething(self, key, default=None):
|
||||
self.lock.acquire()
|
||||
|
@ -318,7 +327,7 @@ Comparison to Thunks
|
|||
finally:
|
||||
self.lock.release()
|
||||
|
||||
and I'd be bummed if I couldn't write this as:
|
||||
and I'd be bummed if I couldn't write this as::
|
||||
|
||||
def findSomething(self, key, default=None):
|
||||
block locking(self.lock):
|
||||
|
@ -327,7 +336,7 @@ Comparison to Thunks
|
|||
return item
|
||||
return default
|
||||
|
||||
This particular example can be rewritten using a break:
|
||||
This particular example can be rewritten using a break::
|
||||
|
||||
def findSomething(self, key, default=None):
|
||||
block locking(self.lock):
|
||||
|
@ -338,61 +347,62 @@ Comparison to Thunks
|
|||
item = default
|
||||
return item
|
||||
|
||||
but it looks forced and the transformation isn't always that easy;
|
||||
you'd be forced to rewrite your code in a single-return style
|
||||
which feels too restrictive.
|
||||
but it looks forced and the transformation isn't always that easy;
|
||||
you'd be forced to rewrite your code in a single-return style
|
||||
which feels too restrictive.
|
||||
|
||||
Also note the semantic conundrum of a yield in a thunk -- the only
|
||||
reasonable interpretation is that this turns the thunk into a
|
||||
generator!
|
||||
Also note the semantic conundrum of a yield in a thunk -- the only
|
||||
reasonable interpretation is that this turns the thunk into a
|
||||
generator!
|
||||
|
||||
Greg Ewing believes that thunks "would be a lot simpler, doing
|
||||
just what is required without any jiggery pokery with exceptions
|
||||
and break/continue/return statements. It would be easy to explain
|
||||
what it does and why it's useful."
|
||||
Greg Ewing believes that thunks "would be a lot simpler, doing
|
||||
just what is required without any jiggery pokery with exceptions
|
||||
and break/continue/return statements. It would be easy to explain
|
||||
what it does and why it's useful."
|
||||
|
||||
But in order to obtain the required local variable sharing between
|
||||
the thunk and the containing function, every local variable used
|
||||
or set in the thunk would have to become a 'cell' (our mechanism
|
||||
for sharing variables between nested scopes). Cells slow down
|
||||
access compared to regular local variables: access involves an
|
||||
extra C function call (PyCell_Get() or PyCell_Set()).
|
||||
But in order to obtain the required local variable sharing between
|
||||
the thunk and the containing function, every local variable used
|
||||
or set in the thunk would have to become a 'cell' (our mechanism
|
||||
for sharing variables between nested scopes). Cells slow down
|
||||
access compared to regular local variables: access involves an
|
||||
extra C function call (``PyCell_Get()`` or ``PyCell_Set()``).
|
||||
|
||||
Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the last example above
|
||||
(findSomething() rewritten to avoid a return inside the block)
|
||||
shows that, unlike for regular nested functions, we'll want
|
||||
variables *assigned to* by the thunk also to be shared with the
|
||||
containing function, even if they are not assigned to outside the
|
||||
thunk.
|
||||
Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, the last example above
|
||||
(``findSomething()`` rewritten to avoid a return inside the block)
|
||||
shows that, unlike for regular nested functions, we'll want
|
||||
variables **assigned to** by the thunk also to be shared with the
|
||||
containing function, even if they are not assigned to outside the
|
||||
thunk.
|
||||
|
||||
Greg Ewing again: "generators have turned out to be more powerful,
|
||||
because you can have more than one of them on the go at once. Is
|
||||
there a use for that capability here?"
|
||||
Greg Ewing again: "generators have turned out to be more powerful,
|
||||
because you can have more than one of them on the go at once. Is
|
||||
there a use for that capability here?"
|
||||
|
||||
I believe there are definitely uses for this; several people have
|
||||
already shown how to do asynchronous light-weight threads using
|
||||
generators (e.g. David Mertz quoted in PEP 288, and Fredrik
|
||||
Lundh[3]).
|
||||
I believe there are definitely uses for this; several people have
|
||||
already shown how to do asynchronous light-weight threads using
|
||||
generators (e.g. David Mertz quoted in PEP 288, and Fredrik
|
||||
Lundh [3]_).
|
||||
|
||||
And finally, Greg says: "a thunk implementation has the potential
|
||||
to easily handle multiple block arguments, if a suitable syntax
|
||||
could ever be devised. It's hard to see how that could be done in
|
||||
a general way with the generator implementation."
|
||||
And finally, Greg says: "a thunk implementation has the potential
|
||||
to easily handle multiple block arguments, if a suitable syntax
|
||||
could ever be devised. It's hard to see how that could be done in
|
||||
a general way with the generator implementation."
|
||||
|
||||
However, the use cases for multiple blocks seem elusive.
|
||||
However, the use cases for multiple blocks seem elusive.
|
||||
|
||||
(Proposals have since been made to change the implementation of
|
||||
thunks to remove most of these objections, but the resulting
|
||||
semantics are fairly complex to explain and to implement, so IMO
|
||||
that defeats the purpose of using thunks in the first place.)
|
||||
(Proposals have since been made to change the implementation of
|
||||
thunks to remove most of these objections, but the resulting
|
||||
semantics are fairly complex to explain and to implement, so IMO
|
||||
that defeats the purpose of using thunks in the first place.)
|
||||
|
||||
Examples
|
||||
========
|
||||
|
||||
(Several of these examples contain "yield None". If PEP 342 is
|
||||
accepted, these can be changed to just "yield" of course.)
|
||||
(Several of these examples contain "yield None". If PEP 342 is
|
||||
accepted, these can be changed to just "yield" of course.)
|
||||
|
||||
1. A template for ensuring that a lock, acquired at the start of a
|
||||
block, is released when the block is left:
|
||||
1. A template for ensuring that a lock, acquired at the start of a
|
||||
block, is released when the block is left::
|
||||
|
||||
def locking(lock):
|
||||
lock.acquire()
|
||||
|
@ -401,15 +411,15 @@ Examples
|
|||
finally:
|
||||
lock.release()
|
||||
|
||||
Used as follows:
|
||||
Used as follows::
|
||||
|
||||
block locking(myLock):
|
||||
# Code here executes with myLock held. The lock is
|
||||
# guaranteed to be released when the block is left (even
|
||||
# if via return or by an uncaught exception).
|
||||
|
||||
2. A template for opening a file that ensures the file is closed
|
||||
when the block is left:
|
||||
2. A template for opening a file that ensures the file is closed
|
||||
when the block is left::
|
||||
|
||||
def opening(filename, mode="r"):
|
||||
f = open(filename, mode)
|
||||
|
@ -418,14 +428,14 @@ Examples
|
|||
finally:
|
||||
f.close()
|
||||
|
||||
Used as follows:
|
||||
Used as follows::
|
||||
|
||||
block opening("/etc/passwd") as f:
|
||||
for line in f:
|
||||
print line.rstrip()
|
||||
|
||||
3. A template for committing or rolling back a database
|
||||
transaction:
|
||||
3. A template for committing or rolling back a database
|
||||
transaction::
|
||||
|
||||
def transactional(db):
|
||||
try:
|
||||
|
@ -436,7 +446,7 @@ Examples
|
|||
else:
|
||||
db.commit()
|
||||
|
||||
4. A template that tries something up to n times:
|
||||
4. A template that tries something up to n times::
|
||||
|
||||
def auto_retry(n=3, exc=Exception):
|
||||
for i in range(n):
|
||||
|
@ -448,20 +458,20 @@ Examples
|
|||
continue
|
||||
raise # re-raise the exception we caught earlier
|
||||
|
||||
Used as follows:
|
||||
Used as follows::
|
||||
|
||||
block auto_retry(3, IOError):
|
||||
f = urllib.urlopen("http://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0340/")
|
||||
print f.read()
|
||||
|
||||
5. It is possible to nest blocks and combine templates:
|
||||
5. It is possible to nest blocks and combine templates::
|
||||
|
||||
def locking_opening(lock, filename, mode="r"):
|
||||
block locking(lock):
|
||||
block opening(filename) as f:
|
||||
yield f
|
||||
|
||||
Used as follows:
|
||||
Used as follows::
|
||||
|
||||
block locking_opening(myLock, "/etc/passwd") as f:
|
||||
for line in f:
|
||||
|
@ -470,10 +480,10 @@ Examples
|
|||
(If this example confuses you, consider that it is equivalent
|
||||
to using a for-loop with a yield in its body in a regular
|
||||
generator which is invoking another iterator or generator
|
||||
recursively; see for example the source code for os.walk().)
|
||||
recursively; see for example the source code for ``os.walk()``.)
|
||||
|
||||
6. It is possible to write a regular iterator with the
|
||||
semantics of example 1:
|
||||
6. It is possible to write a regular iterator with the
|
||||
semantics of example 1::
|
||||
|
||||
class locking:
|
||||
def __init__(self, lock):
|
||||
|
@ -500,7 +510,7 @@ Examples
|
|||
examples; it shows how much simpler generators are for the same
|
||||
purpose.)
|
||||
|
||||
7. Redirect stdout temporarily:
|
||||
7. Redirect stdout temporarily::
|
||||
|
||||
def redirecting_stdout(new_stdout):
|
||||
save_stdout = sys.stdout
|
||||
|
@ -510,13 +520,13 @@ Examples
|
|||
finally:
|
||||
sys.stdout = save_stdout
|
||||
|
||||
Used as follows:
|
||||
Used as follows::
|
||||
|
||||
block opening(filename, "w") as f:
|
||||
block redirecting_stdout(f):
|
||||
print "Hello world"
|
||||
|
||||
8. A variant on opening() that also returns an error condition:
|
||||
8. A variant on ``opening()`` that also returns an error condition::
|
||||
|
||||
def opening_w_error(filename, mode="r"):
|
||||
try:
|
||||
|
@ -529,7 +539,7 @@ Examples
|
|||
finally:
|
||||
f.close()
|
||||
|
||||
Used as follows:
|
||||
Used as follows::
|
||||
|
||||
block opening_w_error("/etc/passwd", "a") as f, err:
|
||||
if err:
|
||||
|
@ -538,25 +548,28 @@ Examples
|
|||
f.write("guido::0:0::/:/bin/sh\n")
|
||||
|
||||
Acknowledgements
|
||||
================
|
||||
|
||||
In no useful order: Alex Martelli, Barry Warsaw, Bob Ippolito,
|
||||
Brett Cannon, Brian Sabbey, Chris Ryland, Doug Landauer, Duncan
|
||||
Booth, Fredrik Lundh, Greg Ewing, Holger Krekel, Jason Diamond,
|
||||
Jim Jewett, Josiah Carlson, Ka-Ping Yee, Michael Chermside,
|
||||
Michael Hudson, Neil Schemenauer, Nick Coghlan, Paul Moore,
|
||||
Phillip Eby, Raymond Hettinger, Georg Brandl, Samuele
|
||||
Pedroni, Shannon Behrens, Skip Montanaro, Steven Bethard, Terry
|
||||
Reedy, Tim Delaney, Aahz, and others. Thanks all for the valuable
|
||||
contributions!
|
||||
In no useful order: Alex Martelli, Barry Warsaw, Bob Ippolito,
|
||||
Brett Cannon, Brian Sabbey, Chris Ryland, Doug Landauer, Duncan
|
||||
Booth, Fredrik Lundh, Greg Ewing, Holger Krekel, Jason Diamond,
|
||||
Jim Jewett, Josiah Carlson, Ka-Ping Yee, Michael Chermside,
|
||||
Michael Hudson, Neil Schemenauer, Nick Coghlan, Paul Moore,
|
||||
Phillip Eby, Raymond Hettinger, Georg Brandl, Samuele
|
||||
Pedroni, Shannon Behrens, Skip Montanaro, Steven Bethard, Terry
|
||||
Reedy, Tim Delaney, Aahz, and others. Thanks all for the valuable
|
||||
contributions!
|
||||
|
||||
References
|
||||
==========
|
||||
|
||||
[1] https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-April/052821.html
|
||||
.. [1] https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2005-April/052821.html
|
||||
|
||||
[2] http://msdn.microsoft.com/vcsharp/programming/language/ask/withstatement/
|
||||
.. [2] http://msdn.microsoft.com/vcsharp/programming/language/ask/withstatement/
|
||||
|
||||
[3] http://effbot.org/zone/asyncore-generators.htm
|
||||
.. [3] http://effbot.org/zone/asyncore-generators.htm
|
||||
|
||||
Copyright
|
||||
=========
|
||||
|
||||
This document has been placed in the public domain.
|
||||
This document has been placed in the public domain.
|
||||
|
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue