[Python-ideas] constant/enum type in stdlib

[Eli Bendersky]

On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 3:26 PM, Greg Ewing <greg.ewing at canterbury.ac.nz>wrote:

> Eli Bendersky wrote:
>
>> I really wish there would be an enum type in Python that would make
>> sense. ISTM this has been raised numerous times, but not one submitted a
>> good-enough proposal.
>>
>
> I think the reason the discussion petered out last time
> is that everyone has a slightly different idea on what
> an enum type should be like. A number of proposals were
> made, but none of them stood out as being the obviously
> right one to put in the std lib.
>
> Also, so far nobody has come up with a really elegant
> solution to the DRY problem that inevitably arises in
> connection with enums. Ideally you want to be able to
> specify the names of the enums as identifiers, and not
> have to write them again as strings or otherwise provide
> explicit values for them. That seems to be very difficult
> to achieve cleanly with Python syntax as it stands.


Since we're discussing a new language feature, why do we have to be
restricted by the existing Python syntax? We have plenty of time before 3.4
at this point.

Eli
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