On Wed, 2007-05-09 at 15:35 -0500, Alan G Isaac wrote: > Robert Kern wrote: > > http://docs.python.org/lib/typesmapping.html > > """ > > Keys and values are listed in an arbitrary order which is non-random, varies > > across Python implementations, and depends on the dictionary's history of > > insertions and deletions. > > """ > > > Even this does not tell me that if I use a specified implementation > that my results can vary from run to run. That is, it still does > not communicate that rerunning an *unchanged* program with an > *unchanged* implementation can produce a change in results.
It doesn't say that rerunning the program won't produce a change in results. It doesn't say that the order depends *only* on those factors in a deterministic and reproducible manner. The documentation shouldn't be expected to list every little thing that might change the order of keys in a dictionary. The documentation does say explicitly what *is* guaranteed: Order of keys is preserved as long as no intervening modifications happen to the dictionary. Tearing down the interpreter, starting it back up, and rebuilding the dictionary from scratch is very definitely an intervening modification. Regards, -- Carsten Haese http://informixdb.sourceforge.net -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
