I like the idea of eliminating it if it was possible. This is one of my most
common syntax errors (although mostly after function signature) and I am not
C/C++ programmer. I am not sure about the core technical issues, but
readability of code, such as:
a = 1
while a < 5: a += 1
, would suffer:
a = 1
while a < 5 a += 1
So IMO, it does improve readability in certain cases.
Although, removing colon does sound like an idea worth thinking about. I might
even dare to suggest disallowing body statement on the same line, but can’t do
that for backwards compatibility ofc...
So my point is, if anyone is going to give a thought about this, please add
function signature to the list.
— One small step towards deferred evaluation, one huge leap for… —
Dg
> On 1 Sep 2023, at 13:26, Morteza Mirzakhan
> wrote:
>
> Dear Python Developers,
>
> I would like to share my thoughts on the use of the colon mark “:” in Python
> code.
>
> In my opinion, using a colon after keywords such as `if`, `elif`, `else`,
> `for`, `while`, `try`, `except`, and `finally` is quite unnecessary.
>
> Using mandatory indentation in Python to group commands into a block is
> similar to how curly braces `{}` are used in ‘curly-bracket languages’ like
> C-family, Perl, Java, PHP, etc. to group multiple commands into a single
> statement.
>
> While those compilers don't differentiate between one or more ‘space’ or
> ‘return’ characters, so they don't recognize new lines and indents, the
> indentation is also used, not forced but traditionally, to increase
> readability. However, when it comes to writing just one instruction after the
> head command, you can omit the curly braces `{}` and simply write it in a new
> line, traditionally indented in C-family languages.
>
> So Python is one step forward by not requiring curly braces `{}` whether the
> block includes one or more lines.
>
> In contrast, the requirement to use a colon after those keywords in Python is
> a drawback!
>
> The colon “:” doesn't improve readability but adds unnecessary complexity,
> increases the potential for errors, and requires more effort to code. This is
> because the requirement does not have a logical meaning while the block is
> made obvious by indentation, so coders may forget to include the colon and
> face errors.
>
> This can be particularly frustrating for those who are used to coding in
> languages such as C and C++, where blocks of code are traditionally indented
> and no curly braces `{}` are used when the following tail is a singe-command
> instruction.
>
> The suggestion is removing the need by interpreter for the use of colon after
> keyword syntaxes (and making it optional due to Backward Compatibility) in
> the new revision of Python.
>
> I believe this change would make Python code easier to read, less prone to
> errors, and require less effort to code.
>
> Thank you for your time and attention.
>
> Best regards,
> Morteza Mirzakhan
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