[Python-Dev] [PEP] += on return of function call result

[Andrew Koenig]

Greg> Andrew Koenig wrote:
>> Why can't you do this?
>> foo = log.setdefault(r,'')
>> foo += "test %d\n" % t

Greg> You can do it, but it's useless!

>>>> d = {}
>>>> foo = d.setdefault(42, "buckle")
>>>> foo += " my shoe"
>>>> d
Greg> {42: 'buckle'}

Greg> What Mr. Leighton wanted is *impossible* when the value
Greg> concerned is immutable, because by the time you get to
Greg> the += operator, there's no information left about where
Greg> the value came from, and thus no way to update the
Greg> dict with the new value.

Of course it's impossible when the value is immutable, because += cam't
mutate it :-)  However, consider this:

        foo = []
        foo += ["my shoe"]

No problem, right?

So the behavior of

        foo = d.setdefault(r,'')
        foo += "test %d\n" % t

depends on what type foo has, and the OP didn't say.  But whatever type
foo might have, the behavior of the two statements above ought logically
to be the same as the theoretical behavior of

        d.setdefault(r,'') += "test %d\n" % t

which is what the OP was trying to achieve.


-- 
Andrew Koenig, ark@research.att.com, http://www.research.att.com/info/ark