Default parameters

[Bengt Richter]

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 06:56:07 GMT, Carl Banks <imbosol at aerojockey.invalid> wrote:
[...]
>I said a non-constant default argument wasn't useful.  As evidence
>against, you suggest that the function is "consistent."
>
>Now, do have any evidence that non-constant, default arguments (as
>they are now) are USEFUL?

>From zenmeister Tim Peter's fixedpoint module (argue with that ;-):

def _tento(n, cache={}):
    try:
        return cache[n]
    except KeyError:
        answer = cache[n] = 10L ** n
        return answer

That's useful, but IMO not the optimal syntax, because cache here is really not
being used as a parameter. That's why I would like a way to bind locals similarly
without being part of the calling signature. E.g.,

def _tento(n)(
    # preset bindings evaluated here at def-time
    cache={}
):
    try:
        return cache[n]
    except KeyError:
        answer = cache[n] = 10L ** n
        return answer

Regards,
Bengt Richter