[Python-Dev] Idea of the Month: Preprocessor (original) (raw)

M.-A. Lemburg mal@lemburg.com
Tue, 19 Mar 2002 10:10:11 +0100

Guido van Rossum wrote:

> Enable a command line option [-p filename.py] and a related > environment variable PYTHONPREPROCESS. The new behavior of the > interpreter would then be to submit all of its input to the > preprocess program (a module written in pure python) and then > interpret the result. Instead of encumbering the standard Python interpreter, why not write a script that runs its argument after preprocessing it, and inserts a preprocessor in import.

Or even more subtle: wait until PEP 263 phase 2 is implemented and write a codec which does the preprocessing for you on a per module basis, then you'd write:

#!/usr/local/bin/python

coding: utf-8-with-macros

macro yadada(a,b,c): print a,b,c

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