[Python-ideas] A better (simpler) approach to PEP 505

[David Mertz]

On Mon, Jul 23, 2018 at 2:12 PM Rhodri James <rhodri at kynesim.co.uk> wrote:

> How are you supposed to do method calling, the equivalent of
> "foo?.bar()" ?  "NoneAware(foo).bar.unbox()()" looks downright weird.
> Is there more magic in NoneAware to cover this case?  (Not that I think
> we should be encouraging people to do this, but...)
>

Is there more magic? I don't know, and I don't really care that much.
That's the point.  This is just a plain old Python class that will work
back to probably Python 1.4 or so.  If you want to write a version that has
just the right amount of magic, you are free to.

That said, I *DID* give it the wrong name in my first post of this thread.
GreedyAccess is more accurate, and a NoneCoalesce class would behave
somewhat differently.

In my opinion, the need at issue is worthwhile, but niche.  Using a special
class to deal with such a case is absolutely the right level of
abstraction.  Syntax is not! So sure, figure out how to tweak the API to be
most useful, find a better name for the class, etc.

I wouldn't think it terrible if a class like this (but better) found a home
in the standard library, but it doesn't deserve more prominence than that.
Not even builtins, and *definitely* not syntax.

-- 
Keeping medicines from the bloodstreams of the sick; food
from the bellies of the hungry; books from the hands of the
uneducated; technology from the underdeveloped; and putting
advocates of freedom in prisons.  Intellectual property is
to the 21st century what the slave trade was to the 16th.
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