[Python-Dev] [Python-checkins] peps: Pre-alpha draft for PEP 435 (enum). The name is not important at the moment, as

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

Ethan Furman writes:

 > Again:

Repeating yourself doesn't help make the case.  It does, however,
encourage me to reply.

 > Definition of ENUMERATE
 > 1 : to ascertain the number of : count
 > 2 : to specify one after another : list

You say you need the value as an integer; when you evaluate, you are
neither counting nor listing.  Note that in both counting and listing
the object of the operation is not an element.  It is a set, and set
membership is the most important aspect of the elements for that
purpose.  The values of the elements (including whether they even have
a value) is not relevant to either of those operations.

On the other hand, if you *are* going to access (constant!) values by
name, I don't see any reason to restrict the domain to integers.  Nor
do such named constants need to be members of any set in many cases.