[Python-Dev] can't assign to function call (original) (raw)
Steven D'Aprano steve at pearwood.info
Mon Mar 18 16:40:37 CET 2013
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On 19/03/13 02:01, Hrvoje Niksic wrote:
On 03/18/2013 03:23 PM, Chris Angelico wrote:
The languages that permit you to assign to a function call all have some notion of a reference type. Assigning to function calls is orthogonal to reference types. For example, Python manages assignment to subscripts without having references just fine: val = obj[index] # val = obj.getitem(index) obj[index] = val # obj.setitem(index, val) In analogy with that, Python could implement what looks like assignment to function call like this: val = f(arg) # val = f.call(arg) f(arg) = val # f.setcall(arg, val)
That's all very well, but what would it do? It's not enough to say that the syntax could exist, we also need to have semantics. What's the use-case here? (That question is mostly aimed at the original poster.)
Aside: I'd reverse the order of the arg, val in any such hypothetical setcall, so as to support functions with zero or more arguments:
f(*args, **kwargs) = val <=> f.setcall(val, *args, **kwargs)
-- Steven
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