[Python-Dev] other uses for "as" [was Re: new syntax for wrapping (PEP 318)]

[Bob Ippolito]

On Feb 26, 2004, at 5:02 PM, Doug Holton wrote:

>
>> would also be sensible syntax.  But, the real monkeywrench here is 
>> that:
>>     def func1(x as int, y as float) as staticmethod:
>> now looks like it *returns* a staticmethod, which is wrong.
> >
>> So, thanks to your argument, I'm now leaning a little more towards 
>> using [] rather than "as", because "as" looks like syntax that should 
>> be reserved for adaptation at a future time.  :)
>
> You're right.  I had forgotten that Visual Basic uses "as" to specify 
> the return type of a function too.
>
> I guess [] (or any list object) is better for method decorators.
>
> Maybe in the future you could have something like:
>
> def myfunc(x as int, y as float) [synchronized, staticmethod] as int:
>    ...
>
> So "as" is always and only associated with adaptation.
>
> x = myfunc(1, 2.0)
>  --> means x = adapt(myfunc(adapt(1,int),adapt(2.0,float)), int)
>
> p = q as int
>  --> means p = adapt(q, int)

def myfunc(x, y) [accepts(int, int), returns(int)]:
     pass

Nothing stops you from (ab)using this syntax to do it.. but you may 
need to specify kwarg names twice if you want to skip some, and you 
would probably have a hard time deciding how to spell adaptation of 
*args or **kwargs :)

-bob