GvR has commented that he want to get rid of the lambda keyword for Python 3.0. Getting rid of lambda seems like a worthy goal, but I'd prefer to see it dropped in favour of a different syntax, rather than completely losing the ability to have anonymous functions.
Anyway, I'm looking for feedback on a def-based syntax that came up in a recent c.l.p discussion:
http://boredomandlaziness.skystorm.net/2004/12/anonymous-functions-in-python.html
... The proposed syntax is:
accepts_func((def (a, b, c) to f(a) + g(b) - h(c)))...
Cheers, Nick.
From the blog Comments: Nick said...
A potentially easier to parse version moves the argument list to the end of the anonymous function and uses the existing keyword 'from'. That is:
(def f(a) + g(b) - h(c) from (a, b, c))
11:46 PM
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This alternative syntax seems more elegant to me because of the similarity with generator expressions. But the 'def' still seems awkward.
<Idle speculation>
Isn't the important point that the arguments have delayed evaluation? If so, the syntax could highlight this instead: i.e.,
(f(a) + g(b) - h(c) from args(a, b, c))
and, in general:
(expression from args(a, *args, **kw))
while we're at it, perhaps 'for' would be more appropriate:
(expression for args(a, *args, **kw))
I also wonder if a callable, args, that stored its argument list for delayed evaluation would have other applications besides anonymous functions, but that is another topic
</Idle speculation>
Michael Spencer
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