I'm coming from Tcl-world ...

[Cameron Laird]

In article <mailman.1028333946.19341.python-list at python.org>,
Heiko Wundram  <heikowu at ceosg.de> wrote:
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>Of course, a switch statement only makes exact matches possible anyway.
>Specifying the comparison function would only clobber the syntax (IMHO).
In C, of course, and there only against
fundamental datatypes (another issue).
Part of the context of Andreas' questions
is that Tcl builds-in a [switch] with
several different comparisons possible.
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>Dictionaries aren't functions as they are in Tcl, but rather they are
>builtin types. So you don't clobber any namespace when you try to look
?  I don't get that Tcl dictionaries
are "functions".  The part of Tcl that's
most dictionary-like is what Tcl calls
an "array", and it's as built-in as can
be.

Frederic Bonnet has extended Tcl's asso-
ciative array to a new type called
"dictionary" which can more conveniently
be passed by reference.  It's not widely
used (yet?).
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-- 

Cameron Laird <Cameron at Lairds.com>
Business:  http://www.Phaseit.net
Personal:  http://starbase.neosoft.com/~claird/home.html