[Python-Dev] conditional expressions?

[Michael Abbott]

"Anders J. Munch" <andersjm at dancontrol.dk> wrote in 
news:3bcc127a$0$42071$edfadb0f at dspool01.news.tele.dk:

> "Michael Abbott" <michael at rcp.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:Xns913C6BFA94D38michaelrcpcouk at 194.238.50.13...
>>
>> Nah.  Go for "maximal munch", I can't think of anything wrong with that.
> 
> Good try.  Maximal munch is certainly one of the better options, but
> it's not perfect.  What should be the output from:
> 
>     x = 260
>     abs_x_mod_256 = divmod(if x<0: -x else: +x, 256)[1]
>     print abs_x_mod_256

Ho ho!

Presumably divmod is unhappy at only getting one argument.

Well, the bracket fans can be happy here, because we'll now need to write

     abs_x_mod_256 = divmod((if x<0: -x else: +x), 256)[1]

(or, just to keep the alternatives alive simultaneously,

     abs_x_mod_256 = divmod((if x<0 then -x else +x), 256)[1]
:)

That's a tricky one, I agree, but we have to choose one alternative or the 
other.  Hmm.  If we make , dominate over if ... else then the original 
example returns a dictionary tupled with b.

Oh, drat.  Perhaps , needs to dominate (bind more loosely) after all.  Oh 
well, someone needs to check the grammar (I'm not sure what other operators 
bind as loosely as , -- not too many, I hope).