Weird Language Features

[Erno Kuusela]

In article <nnhv8t4obq30ljfgseplp7pi4khhsf9g9n at 4ax.com>, Dave Cross
<dave at dave.org.uk> writes:

| 1/ The programmer calls a function that doesn't actually exist within
| the application (or libraries). Is the a feature whereby the
| programmer can create a "catch-all" function which is called in cases
| like these? Can this function examine the list of existing functions
| and call the most appropriate one? Or create a new function on the fly
| and install it into the application?

python: i can't think of a way to do this for functions,
but you can easily do it for methods - __getattr__ is the magic
method.

see <URL:http://www.python.org/doc/current/ref/attribute-access.html>.

| 2/ Can you filter the input source code before compilation

python does not allow you to do this.

| Of course, if you'd like to tell me just why you consider it's a good
| thing that your language of choice doesn't have these features, then
| I'd be only too happy to hear that too.

as far as i'm concerned language features are guilty (of being
superfluous) before proven innocent :).

  -- erno