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[Python-Dev] Switch statement

Georg Brandl g.brandl at gmx.net
Thu Jun 22 18:56:56 CEST 2006 
Guido van Rossum wrote:
> On 6/22/06, Georg Brandl <g.brandl at gmx.net> wrote:
>> Guido van Rossum wrote:
>>
>> >> I've also been wondering whether the 'case' keyword is really necessary?
>> >>   Would any ambiguities or other parsing problems arise if you wrote:
>> >>
>> >>      switch x:
>> >>          1: foo(x)
>> >>         2: bar(x)
>> >>
>> >> It is debatable whether this is more or less readable, but it seemed
>> >> like an interesting question for the language lawyers.
>> >
>> > That's no problem for the parser, as long as the expressions are
>> > indented. ABC did this.
>> >
>> > But I think I like an explicit case keyword better; it gives a better
>> > error message if the indentation is forgotten.
>>
>> It also overthrows the notion that suites are started by statements, not
>> by expressions.
> 
> I'm not sure I care about that. Do you use this in teaching? How does
> it help you?

I just realized that my post could be misunderstood: The sentence referred
to the "case"-less form. (And it's just a "feeling" thing)

Georg
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