Timo Virkkala wrote:
Indeed, but if ".." is defined as an acceptable token then there's nothing to stop a strict LL(1) parser from disambiguating the cases in question. "Token" is not the same thing as "character".[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Andrew Dalke:
(BTW, it needs to be 1 .. 12 not 1..12 because 1. will be interpreted as the floating point value "1.0".)<
Uhm, I have to fix my ignorance about parsers. Cannot a second "." after the first tell that the first "." isn't in the middle of a floating point number?
Python uses an LL(1) parser. From Wikipedia:
""" LL(1) grammars, although fairly restrictive, are very popular because the corresponding LL parsers only need to look at the next token to make their parsing decisions."""
This may allow: assert 5 interval 9 == interval(5,9)
Maybe you could give an example of when you need this in real life?<
Every time you have a function with 2 parameters, you can choose to use it infix.
But why would you want to? What advantage does this give over the standard syntax? Remember, in Python philosophy, there should be one obvious way to do it, and preferably only one. Adding a whole another way of calling functions complicates things without adding much advantage. Especially so because you suggest it is only used for binary, i.e. two-parameter functions.
This part of your comments I completely agree with. However, we are used to people coming along and suggesting changes to Python on comp.lang.python. Ironically it's often those with less experience of Python who suggest it should be changed to be more like some other language.
One of the things I like best about c.l.py is its (almost) unfailing politeness to such posters, often despite long stream-of-consciousness posts suggesting fatuous changes (not necessarily the case here, by the way). The level of debate is so high, and so rational, that the change requesters are often educated as to why their suggested changes wouldn't be helpful or acceptable, and having come to jeer they remain to whitewash, to use an analogy from "Tom Sawyer" [1].
All in all a very pleasant change from "F*&% off and die, noob".
regards Steve
[1]: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/id-2,pageNum-10.html -- Steve Holden http://www.holdenweb.com/ Python Web Programming http://pydish.holdenweb.com/ Holden Web LLC +1 703 861 4237 +1 800 494 3119 -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
