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*Minor* python usability proposal

Michele Simionato mis6 at pitt.edu
Thu Feb 13 14:24:16 EST 2003 
Eron Lloyd <elloyd at lancaster.lib.pa.us> wrote in message news:<mailman.1045063972.2755.python-list at python.org>...
> Greetings,
> 
> As this is my first post to the list, please allow me to apologize ahead of 
> time if this subject has been mentioned before. For the record, I _did_ 
> search the mailing list ahead of time, but didn't find anything.
> 
> I've been coding in Python for several years, and find the simplicity and 
> straightforwardness of the language almost elegant in style. I'm at the point 
> now where I'd like to begin possibly teaching it to kids, as a special 
> service here at the library (we're working to develop more high-tech services 
> in the computer labs).
> 
> One nit I've sort of had was the syntax for declaring functions and methods. 
> The keyword "def" seems to me to be anti-intuitive compared to other 
> declarative keywords, such as "class" (which is more descriptive). What I 
> would like to ask the Python community is whether a more explicit naming of 
> "function" for global function definitions and "method" for class method 
> definitions would be desirable enough to implement.
> 

This is highly unlikely to happen. Whereas I understand that for 
children it would be nice to have a visual key to distinguish functions
from methods, the truth is that in Python methods *are* functions (in
the sense Aahz is alluding to). For instance:

>>> class C:
	def f(self): pass
	print f #here f is a function

gives	
<function f at 0x00A9B4F0>

whereas
>>> print C.f # C.f is a method
gives
<unbound method C.f>

The method C.f is nothing else than a wrapping of the original function f;
you see that inside the class f *is* a function, it is only when it is
accessed with the dot notation that it becomes magically a method.

You can also convert functions to methods by hand:

>>> def g(): pass
>>> g
<function g at 0x00AA16F0>
>>> g.__get__(None,C)
<unbound method C.g>

I do not suggest to teach descriptors to children, anyway ;-)


                       Michele
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