[Python-Dev] Retrieve an arbitrary element from a set withoutremoving it (original) (raw)

Raymond Hettinger python at rcn.com
Tue Oct 27 18:47:59 CET 2009


[Chris Bergstresser] Still, I think my

point stands--it's a clear extrapolation from the existing dict.get().

Not really. One looks-up a key and supplies a default value if not found. The other, set.get(), doesn't have a key to lookup.

A dict.get() can be meaningfully used in a loop (because the key can vary). A set.get() returns the same value over and over again (because there is no key).

Raymond



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