Are decorators really that different from metaclasses...

[Larry Bates]

You are asking the same question I asked in a separate
posting to c.l.p (but apparently more clearly).

I thought about using:

    class Foo:
       """ This is the docstring for class Foo. """
       __decorators__ = {'metaclass': 'M'}
       # body of class goes here


    def baz():
       """ This is the docstring for function baz. """
       __decorators__= {'features': ['synchronized', 'memoized'],
         'docstring':'This is the docstring for function baz. '}
       # body of function goes here.

This seems extendable (e.g. you can add keys to __decorators__
dictionary without disturbing existing keys) and "sort of"
parallels __dict__ which everyone understands.

Some of these discussions are so far over my head that I thought
my idea didn't somehow make any sense at all.  Then I saw your post.

Thanks,
Larry Bates
Syscon, Inc.


"Paul Morrow" <pm_mon at yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:mailman.2286.1093364988.5135.python-list at python.org...
> ...that they warrant an entirely new syntax?  It seems that they are
> very similar in a very significant way --- they alter the default
> behavior of something.  IMO, it's not a stretch to say that they
> 'parallel' metaclasses; that they are to functions/methods what
> metaclasses are to classes.  So why don't they share a similar syntax?
>
>     class Foo:
>        """ This is the docstring for class Foo. """
>        __metaclass__ = M
>        # body of class goes here
>
>
>     def baz():
>        """ This is the docstring for function baz. """
>        __features__ = synchronized, memoized
>        # body of function goes here.
>
>
> I personally find the above baz function aesthetically appealing.  Does
> anyone else feel this way?  For contrast, below is the same function
> written in the proposed A1 and J2 [*] syntaxes (respectively).
>
>
>     @synchronized
>     @memoized
>     @doc(""" This is the docstring for function baz. """)
>     def baz():
>        # body of function goes here.
>
>
>     decorate:
>        """ This is the docstring for function baz. """
>        synchronized
>        memoized
>     def baz():
>        # body of function goes here.
>
>
> * if J2 is accepted, the name 'decorate' may be replaced with some other
> keyword, but I believe that the structure of the syntax would stay the
same.
>
> Paul
>