[Python-Dev] [Python-3000] Pre-pre PEP for 'super' keyword (original) (raw)

Delaney, Timothy (Tim) tdelaney at avaya.com
Mon Apr 30 04:48:26 CEST 2007

Jim Jewett wrote:

On 4/29/07, Tim Delaney <tcdelaney at optusnet.com.au> wrote:

I've been intending to write up a PEP for fixing super, but I haven't had time to get to it. Calvin Spealman has the most recent draft. I hope he will incorporate this into his draft.

Sorry about this - wasn't receiving python-dev at home, so didn't realise Calvin had released the PEP.

I think the current PEP draft is way too complicated - I don't think there's any need for descriptors, etc. I think we can make things work in the following way:

  1. When a method is defined, the class is bound to it via an attribute (which in my version is called func_class).

  2. Every non-static method has an implicit cell variable called 'super'. This would preferably not be able to be rebound. I also think it would be beneficial if the first parameter to the method couldn't be rebound (point 7 in my original email in this thread).

  3. When a method is entered, the 'super' cell variable is populated by a call equivalent to:

    super = builtin.super(func_class, first_parameter)

This would result in 'super' being a constant object, within the scope of the currently-executing method. 'keyword' was perhaps too strong - I was thinking this would only need to be done if 'super' were actually used, which would be easier to determine if 'super' actually were a keyword. This could still be done by not emitting the above call unless the 'super' cell variable were ever actually used.

I've done bytecode-hacky stuff to do the equivalent of the above (as much as I've been able to), but a real implementation would just emit the correct bytecode (or java bytecode, or whatever) in the compiled code object.

The issue of super() vs. super.call() ambiguity - I'll need to look at that when I get home.

I'm a strong -1 against super() automatically passing the parameters that were passed to the currently-executing method.

Tim Delaney

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