[Python-Dev] Shortcut Notation for Chaining Method Calls (original) (raw)

Terry Reedy tjreedy at udel.edu
Sat Feb 3 20:55:54 CET 2007

<dustin at v.igoro.us> wrote in message news:20070203193952.GG31813 at v.igoro.us... | On Sat, Feb 03, 2007 at 07:01:47PM +0000, Michael O'Keefe wrote: | I haven't been on the list long enough to know, but I would expect that this | idea and its relatives have been batted around at least once before.

Of course.

| I think a | lot of people have been frustrated at the repetitive nature of operations on | lists, for example, as you indicated in your first post. I think there's room | for debate on whether specific list methods that currently return None should | instead return the list, although I would definitely consult the archives | before entering that fray.

The current design of having mutation methods return None is Guido's explicit, intentional, conscious, and repeatedly affirmed design choice. He is convinced that the pain of repetition is worth the reduction of bugs that would happen when people forget that a list (self) -returning method also mutates. I think comp.lang.python would be a better place for debate.

tjr

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