__name__ becoming read-write?

[Arthur]

On Tue, 24 Aug 2004 03:17:42 +1000, Anthony Baxter
<anthonybaxter at gmail.com> wrote:

>On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 17:00:39 GMT, Arthur <ajsiegel at optonline.com> wrote:
>> I see the point.
>> 
>> But.. there is always a but.
>> 
>> I'm thinking now a special sytnax item in the __form__ at the top of
>> function that would:
>> 
>> 1) put one on notice that the function is to be transformed (as in
>> "see below").
>> 
>> 2) allow a name to be assigned to it, which will become the
>> transform's __name__.
>
>This is a bad idea - code inside the function should be executed when
>the function is executed. docstrings are a special-case (because
>they're not actually code),

Well -  accepted that you identify this issue. 

I would be curious if you could see the sense of the apporach I am
suggesting outside of this issue.  

>
>def doc(str):
>    def endoculate(func, str=str):
>        func.__doc__ = str
>        return func
>
>def frobulate(metawhatsit):

I am old enough - I think - to have been frobutaling metawhatsits
since before you were born.  But have not been, as it happens.  So I
recognize that my solution might be a bit frobulated -technically. 

A little fortipation is perhaps all it needs, though.

>Paul Morrow's idea of special magic __foo__ inside the function is
>deeply magical, and not likely to make any new users running across it
>any happier.

Well I still see - by far -  that best fallback position as A1 (the
alpha 2 implementation) - precisely because it implies black magic.
At least to me. 

The least thing I want to see is sweeter, more embedded syntax for
this stuff.  

So I am totally off the "how do we improve the syntax" bus.

> "So wait, this stuff that _looks_ like code in a
>function, isn't actually? what the hell?" The new syntax[1] for
>decorators is at least very obvious that something _new_ is going on.

I am thinking (and I think Paul is thinking) that we can say the same
thing, succintly, in a manner that has precedence in the language

Mine's a one-liner that does not totally relieve the magicians burden
to be - somwhere down the line -  a bit expressive

Art