[Python-Dev] comprehension abbreviation (was: Adding any() and all()) (original) (raw)

Gareth McCaughan gmccaughan at synaptics-uk.com
Mon Mar 14 10:57:47 CET 2005

- Before anybody asks, I really do think the reason this is requested at all is really just to save typing; there isn't the "avoid double evaluation" argument that helped acceptance for assignment operators (+= etc.), and I find redability is actually improved with 'for'.

I'd like it, and my reason isn't "just to save typing". There are two reasons.

1 Some bit of my brain is convinced that [x in stuff if condition] is the Right Syntax and keeps making me type it even though I know it doesn't work.

2 Seeing [x for x in stuff if condition] triggers my internal duplicated-stuff alarm, and it's distracting, in the same sort of way as it's distracting in C or C++ seeing

    Thing thing = new Thing();

with the type name appearing three times.

Incidentally, while it's quite true that you only save 4 characters if you use "x" for your variable name, some of us do sometimes like to use something more informative even as a very local loop-index variable (which is what this basically is).

-- g

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