[Python-Dev] PEP 435 -- Adding an Enum type to the Python standard library (original) (raw)

Ethan Furman ethan at stoneleaf.us
Fri Apr 26 01:53:31 CEST 2013

On 04/25/2013 04:26 PM, Glenn Linderman wrote:

My question is, once an enumeration is defined, is there a way, short of element-by-element assignment, to import the individual enumeration instances into the current namespace, so that I can say "red" instead of "Color.red" ? I understand the benefits of avoiding name collisions when there are lots of enumerations, and lots of opportunities for name collections between, say, RGBColor and CYMKColor... but there are lots of uses for enumerations where the subsidiary namespace is just aggravating noise.

You mean something like:

--> class Color(Enum): ... RED = 1 ... GREEN = 2 ... BLUE = 3

--> Color.register() # puts Color in sys.modules

--> from Color import * # doesn't work in a function, though :(

--> BLUE Color.BLUE

Yeah, that would be nice. ;) A bit dangerous, though -- what if another module does the same thing, but its Color is different?

Better would be:

--> Color.export(globals()) # put the enumerators in globals

--> RED Color.RED

-- Ethan

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