[Python-Dev] 'With' context documentation draft (was Re: Terminology for PEP 343

[Michael Chermside]

Nick writes sample documentation:
> For example, the following context manager allows prompt closure of
> any resource with a 'close' method (e.g. a generator or file):
>
>      @context
>      def closing(resource):
>          try:
>              yield resource
>          finally:
>              resource.close()

Reading this I get the feeling that perhaps the decorator should
be named "context_manager" not "context":

        @context_manager
        def closing(resource):
            try:
                yield resource
            finally:
                resource.close()

Does anyone else agree?

Paul Moore writes:
> I also like the fact that it offers a neat 1-word name for the
> generator decorator, "@context".

Well, ok... does anyone *else* agree? I too saw this and thought "neat!
a simple one-word name!". But then I started worrying that it's not
defining the *context*, but rather the *context manager*. While
"context manager" is a term I could easily imagine associating only
with 'with' statements, "context" is too general a term... even after
Python supports 'with' statements I will continue to use "context"
to mean lots of different things (eg: decimal.context).

By the way, great job Nick... these docs read quite nicely.

-- Michael Chermside