[Python-Dev] Retrieve an arbitrary element from a set without removing it (original) (raw)

Ben Finney ben+python at benfinney.id.au
Sat Oct 24 05:02:48 CEST 2009

Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> writes:

On Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:26:27 am Ben Finney wrote: > Steven D'Aprano <steve at pearwood.info> writes: > > The lack of get() in sets and frozensets is sounding more and more > > to me like the victory of purity over practicality. > > What would be the input to ‘set.get’?

It wouldn't take any input.

That is even less obvious. I would expect a parameter-less ‘set.get’ to get the set. Not terribly useful, but the name and function signature doesn't suggest anything else.

"get" is such a generic term that I don't believe that is a problem.

The problem above is made less problematic by the fact that the function signature (e.g. ‘foo_dict.get(key)’) clarifies the answer to the question “get what?”. Whereas ‘foo_set.get()’ doesn't communicate much at all to the reader.

If we want a method that gets one item from a set, perhaps the name can make it clearer: name it ‘set.getitem’. But which item should it get? The ‘__getitem__’ special method of lists and dictionaries requires an index or key as parameter.

-- \ “Roll dice!” “Why?” “Shut up! I don't need your fucking | `\ input, I need you to roll dice!” —Luke Crane, demonstrating | o_) his refined approach to play testing, 2009 | Ben Finney

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