[Python-Dev] bug or a feature?

[Guido van Rossum]

On Thu, Jun 12, 2008 at 1:01 PM, Willem Broekema <metawilm at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Jun 12, 2008 at 9:46 PM, Guido van Rossum <guido at python.org> wrote:
>> The intention was for these dicts to be used as namespaces. I think of
>> it as follows:
>>
>> (a) Using non-string keys is a no-no, but the implementation isn't
>> required to go out of its way to forbid it.
>
> That will allow easier and more efficient implementation, good!
>
>> (b) Using non-empty string keys that aren't well-formed identifiers
>> should be allowed.
>
> ok.
>
> Is it allowed to "normalize" subclasses of strings to regular string,
> e.g. after:
>
>  class mystring(str): pass
>  class C: pass
>
>  x = C()
>  setattr(x, mystring('foo'), 42)
>
> is it allowed that the dict of x contains a regular string 'foo'
> instead of the mystring instance?

I think yes, as this would allow for a more efficient implementation
of the custom dict class.

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)