On 4/4/06, Ian Bicking <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Perhaps. The import-for-side-effect requirement sounds like a > > showstopper though. > > There's a bunch of places where this is a problem. This is a problem > anywhere you want to add functionality to something that doesn't belong > to you. The effects of imports is a problem -- but it's a problem we > already have, not one that is added just with generic functions or > adaptation.
(Generally, I'm going to keep out of this, but I want to comment on this one point). Showstopper is a bit strong. At worst, import-for-side-effect it's bad style, but it's not a requirement of generic functions (or of adaptation, for that matter, where much the same registration issue applies). If you are defining a new class, and want to include pretty-printing support, you'd include the generic function in the module which defines the class. So the import is not "just for side effect", it exports the class itself. If you're an application writer who wants to use an existing class with pprint, but that class doesn't support pretty-printing, you need to write the plumbing (generic function instance) and register it. That's all application code, and how you structure it is up to you. You could have a module that is just imported for effect, but I'd be more likely to write a wrapper module round the module which exported the class - it imports the class, adds the generic functions needed for your application, and re-exports the class. Then you import your ONE module defining the "enhanced" class, rather than importing TWO modules - the original module to get the class, and a "magic" module to add behaviour. But ultimately, it's your choice how you organise your code. All I'm saying is that imports for side effect are *not* required with generic functions or adaptation. Paul. _______________________________________________ Python-3000 mailing list Python-3000@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-3000 Unsubscribe: http://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-3000/archive%40mail-archive.com
