[Python-Dev] Multiline ‘with’ statement line continuation (original) (raw)

Ben Finney ben+python at benfinney.id.au
Tue Aug 12 01:27:57 CEST 2014

Allen Li <cyberdupo56 at gmail.com> writes:

Currently, this works with explicit line continuation, but as all style guides favor implicit line continuation over explicit, it would be nice if you could do the following:

with (open('foo') as foo, open('bar') as bar, open('baz') as baz, open('spam') as spam, open('eggs') as eggs): pass Currently, this is a syntax error

Even if it weren't a syntax error, the syntax would be ambiguous. How will you discern the meaning of::

with (
        foo,
        bar,
        baz):
    pass

Is that three separate context managers? Or is it one tuple with three items?

I am definitely sympathetic to the desire for a good solution to multi-line ‘with’ statements, but I also don't want to see a special case to make it even more difficult to understand when a tuple literal is being specified in code. I admit I don't have a good answer to satisfy both those simultaneously.

-- \ “We have met the enemy and he is us.” —Walt Kelly, Pogo | `\ 1971-04-22 | o_) | Ben Finney

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