On Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:08:41 -0800, sl33k_ wrote: > How to read syntax like this given in the documentation of python? > (Newbie) > > defparameter ::= parameter ["=" expression] > > http://docs.python.org/reference/compound_stmts.html#function- definitions
See here for an explanation: http://docs.python.org/reference/introduction.html#notation What you are looking at is not Python code, instead it is a formal description of what Python syntax looks like, based on a slightly modified BNF syntax: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backus–Naur_Form This tells you that a "defparameter" looks like a "parameter" followed optionally by an equals sign and an expression. For example, here is a line of Python code: def function(x, y=42**3): "x" is a defparameter made up of a parameter on it's own, while "y=42**3" is a defparameter made up of three parts: the parameter part "y", the equals sign, and the expression part "42**3". -- Steven -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
