[Python-Dev] Switch statement (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido at python.org
Thu Jun 22 19:03:51 CEST 2006

On 6/22/06, Georg Brandl <g.brandl at gmx.net> wrote:

Guido van Rossum wrote: > On 6/22/06, Georg Brandl <g.brandl at gmx.net> wrote: >> Guido van Rossum wrote: >> >> >> I've also been wondering whether the 'case' keyword is really necessary? >> >> Would any ambiguities or other parsing problems arise if you wrote: >> >> >> >> switch x: >> >> 1: foo(x) >> >> 2: bar(x) >> >> >> >> It is debatable whether this is more or less readable, but it seemed >> >> like an interesting question for the language lawyers. >> > >> > That's no problem for the parser, as long as the expressions are >> > indented. ABC did this. >> > >> > But I think I like an explicit case keyword better; it gives a better >> > error message if the indentation is forgotten. >> >> It also overthrows the notion that suites are started by statements, not >> by expressions. > > I'm not sure I care about that. Do you use this in teaching? How does > it help you?

I just realized that my post could be misunderstood: The sentence referred to the "case"-less form. (And it's just a "feeling" thing)

I understood that. And I don't have the same feeling. :-)

-- --Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)

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