[Python-Dev] A Hygienic Macro System in Python? (original) (raw)

Jeremy Hylton jeremy@zope.com
Mon, 18 Mar 2002 15:50:46 -0500

On Mon, 18 Mar 2002 15:31:47 -0500 Tom Emerson <tree@basistech.com> wrote:

Anyway, if this has been discussed and shot down, I'll end the discussion now. However, if this something that has been considered, or might be, I'd be interested in pursuing it further.

There has not been much interest in macros of any sort, although there have been a few threads on comp.lang.python recently. It may be that a few motivating examples would make clear why we should be interested :-).

I have a hunch that many Python programs use classes + operator overloading to achieve some of what Schemers achieve with macros (clearly not everything). That is, we live with the basic syntax we're given and use classes to extend behavior.

Jonathan Bachrach's Java Syntax Extender seems like it provides a module for extending languages with more conventional syntax, but I found his OOPSLA paper short on the concrete details. Perhaps it's more transparent to a more expert user of macros. There's a reference somewhere around here: http://www.ai.mit.edu/research/abstracts/abstracts2001/reliable-software/reliable-software.shtml

Jeremy