Re: Please VOTE! Changing keywords to functions

On Mon, 26 Jul 2004 22:42:42 -0700 Mark Hahn <[email protected]> wrote:

> 
> We have already changed "print" and "yield" from keywords to functions.
> Guido specifically mentioned "exec" so I will put that on my to-do list to
> change also.
> 
> Greg's logic for changing "print" was that "there was no reason for it to be
> a keyword".  Martin pointed out that functions can be overriden while
> keywords cannot.
> 
> Both of these arguments can be applied to any keyword that doesn't include a
> code block with maybe these exceptions...
> 
> The keyword "del" has a syntax problem if changed to a function.  It's args
> would be evaluated instead of kept as l-values.
> 
> The keyword "pass" should stay special since it generate no code.
> 
> The three keywords: "break", "continue", and "return" have no reason to be
> treated special except that they are already keywords in a zillion different
> languages. Yield is now a function so why not return?  It is really nice to
> be able to say break and continue without following it with parens though.
> The parser does treat return a bit special right now so if it wasn't a
> keyword I may get into trouble, but this could probably be fixed.
> 
> That pretty much leaves this list as candidates for conversion...
> 
> 	assert    
> 	from                  
> 	import             
> 	raise  
>  
> Please vote on which keywords you think should be changed to functions.  
> 
> I vote for adding exec, assert, from, import, and raise in addition to print
> and yield.  
> 
> 
import  -- keyword
from    -- keyword
assert  -- function? (will there be a case where assert statements can be
                      optimized away?)
raise   -- function? (but does it make sense to pass it as an argument?)

import and from are like the object statement in that they assign values to
identifiers. I would hate to have to do import($foo). Or would it be
foo = import("foo") ?

break and continue are flow control statements that take optional labels.
They definitely are keywords. The parenthesis were removed from the C
return statement years ago. Should they be put back in Prothon?

Lenard Lindstrom