[Python-Dev] Surely "nullable" is a reasonable name?

[Larry Hastings]

Argument Clinic "converters" specify how to convert an individual 
argument to the function you're defining.  Although a converter could 
theoretically represent any sort of conversion, most of the time they 
directly represent types like "int" or "double" or "str".

Because there's such variety in argument parsing, the converters are 
customizable with parameters.  Many of these are common enough that 
Argument Clinic suggests some standard names.  Examples: "zeroes=True" 
for strings and buffers means "permit internal \0 characters", and 
"bitwise=True" for unsigned integers means "copy the bits over, even if 
there's overflow/underflow, and even if the original is negative".

A third example is "nullable=True", which means "also accept None for 
this parameter".  This was originally intended for use with strings 
(compare the "s" and "z" format units for PyArg_ParseTuple), however it 
looks like we'll have a use for "nullable ints" in the ongoing Argument 
Clinic conversion work.

Several people have said they found the name "nullable" surprising, 
suggesting I use another name like "allow_none" or "noneable".  I, in 
turn, find their surprise surprising; "nullable" is a term long 
associated with exactly this concept.  It's used in C# and SQL, and the 
term even has its own Wikipedia page:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nullable_type

Most amusingly, Vala *used* to have an annotation called "(allow-none)", 
but they've broken it out into two annotations, "(nullable)" and 
"(optional)".

    http://blogs.gnome.org/desrt/2014/05/27/allow-none-is-dead-long-live-nullable/


Before you say "the term 'nullable' will confuse end users", let me 
remind you: this is not user-facing.  This is a parameter for an 
Argument Clinic converter, and will only ever be seen by CPython core 
developers.  A group which I hope is not so easily confused.

It's my contention that "nullable" is the correct name.  But I've been 
asked to bring up the topic for discussion, to see if a consensus forms 
around this or around some other name.

Let the bike-shedding begin,


//arry/
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