Stef Mientki <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > although I find it rather non-intuitive. > I didn't expect a copy, but a reference to itself wouldn't be asked > too much ?
If you didn't expect a copy, why rely on the return value? You could simply continue using the sorted list. Your first post says "I'm trying to sort a list, using the same list at the commandline works, but in a program it doesn't." > Why does it return None, instead of the sorted object itself ? > I guess it would cost almost exactly the same processing power. It's not about processing power at all, it's about clarity. Code that says: foo = [5, 2, 3, 1] bar = foo.sort() might run into a nasty surprise upon finding that both foo and bar point to the same (sorted) list. Returning None ensures that the error is detected as early as possible. Returning a list strongly indicates that a copy is being made. For example, the following Perl code: @foo = (3, 2, 1); @bar = sort @foo; makes @bar sorted, but leaves @foo alone. -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
