How about the following? def __main__(): ...
Behavior: 1. Load module as normal. 2. If __name__ is "__main__" or module is named in python -m, call __main__ function. Paul On Fri, 2021-10-01 at 15:35 -0400, Jonathan Crall wrote: > I was curious if / what sort of proposals have been considered for > simplifying the pattern: > > ``` > def main(): > ... > > if __name__ == "__main__": > main() > ``` > > I imagine this topic must have come up before, so I'd be interested > in any relevant history. > > But unless I'm missing something, it seems like adding some easier > alternative to this cumbersome entrypoint syntax would be worth > considering. > > My motivation for writing this suggestion is in an attempt to stop a > common anti-pattern, where instead of defining a `main` function (or > a function by any other name) an simply calling that by adding the > above two lines, a lot of Python users I work with will just start > dumping their logic into the global scope of the module. > > Needless to say, this can have consequences. If there was some > default builtin, let's call it `__main__` for now (open to > suggestions), that took a function as an argument and conditionally > executed it if `__name__ == "__main__"` in the caller's scope, that > would allow us to simplify the above boilerplate to a single line > with no extra indentation: > > ``` > def main(): > ... > > __main__(main) > ``` > > In addition to being simpler, it would allow users to avoid the trap > of adding logic that impacts the global scope. It would also save me > some keystrokes, which I'm always grateful for. > > Furthermore, it could be used as a decorator (and the use-case > wouldn't be unreasonable!), and we all know how much new Python users > love decorators when they find out about them. > > ``` > @__main__ > def main(): > ... > ``` > > Maybe having such a builtin would discourage globals and help new > users get the use-decorators-everywhere bug out of their system. > > -- > -Dr. Jon Crall (him) > _______________________________________________ > Python-ideas mailing list -- python-ideas@python.org > To unsubscribe send an email to python-ideas-le...@python.org > https://mail.python.org/mailman3/lists/python-ideas.python.org/ > Message archived at > https://mail.python.org/archives/list/python-ideas@python.org/message/FKQS2NEI5RQMTX53N77KQQDFZ6HZONXU/ > Code of Conduct: http://python.org/psf/codeofconduct/
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