block/lambda

[iu2]

Hi,

Playing with imitating lambdas and ruby blocks in Python, I came up
with a very simple construct, for example:

import compiler

def dotimes(i, code):
    for i in range(i):
        exec code

dotimes(5, '''
for j in range(i):
	print j,
print
''', '<string>', 'exec')

This will print
0
0 1
0 1 2
0 1 2 3

A more efficient code would probably be

dotimes(5, compiler.compile('''
for j in range(i):
	print j,
print
''', '<string>', 'exec'))

which is, to my understanding, exactly what a ruby block is.

But the actual "discovery" here, is that the triple quote - ''' -
makes a syntax for block passing. Having a code editor that keeps
colorizing what's inside the quotes like a normal code would make it
easier to maintain.

Is it possible to grant Python another syntactic mark, similar to
triple quotes, that will actually make the enclosed code a compiled
code, or an anonymous function?

I know that anonymous functions (long lambdas...) are not on the road
map. But I ask this because, as I understand it, the triple quote
actually presents a syntax for it.
Isn't it actually a matter of taking the triple-quotes a little bit
further?

Thanks