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Re: Something is rotten in Denmark...

From harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net>
Newsgroups comp.lang.python
Subject Re: Something is rotten in Denmark...
References (3 earlier) <mailman.2343.1306883665.9059.python-list@python.org> <crfFp.19078$pi2.10707@newsfe11.iad> <mailman.2374.1306948289.9059.python-list@python.org> <2_AFp.30000$241.24052@newsfe07.iad> <4de71c42$0$29983$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>
Message-ID <9oOFp.2056$Zp6.1700@newsfe19.iad> (permalink)
Date 2011-06-02 10:55 -0500

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Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> What do you expect this code to do?
>
> a = 42
> funcs = [(lambda x: x+a) for i in range(10)]
> funcs[0](1)

    I do see your point with this... truly... but it did get me to think 
about what I *do* expect... and that is that 'a' (for the lambda) will 
be whatever 'a' is (now) at the time when the anonymous function is 
returned, not later when it is called (not really). If I understand 
things correctly, if 'a' references a different simple int object 
'later' (before the anonymous function is called) then the result of the 
lambda may not be what was expected. In your example, of course, the 'i' 
is not relevant.  On the other hand, as in callbacks, the whole reason 
we want to use the lambda in the first place is because we don't know 
what the data will be 'later,' and in fact we really do want 
'late-binding' after all.  (I guess, I want my cake on a nice china 
saucer, with a silver spoon, 'and' I want to eat it too... )  'magine that!

    I know, you're saying "well, duh".  But here's the thing... that's 
the beauty and the curse of pure functional programming (like haskell) 
which (by the way) doesn't have this problem, because doesn't have 
mutables as in Python ( nor other languages, non functional ). So, those 
of us attempting to morph functional programming over python are having 
a little difficulty because what we expect to happen with the lambda in 
a list comprehension is adversely affected by our misunderstanding of 
python's 'late-binding'. See the whine, here?



kind regards,
m harris

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Thread

Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-05-31 01:48 -0500
  Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Chris Rebert <clp2@rebertia.com> - 2011-05-31 00:00 -0700
  Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-31 01:35 -0600
  Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2011-05-31 13:08 +0300
    Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Thomas Rachel <nutznetz-0c1b6768-bfa9-48d5-a470-7603bd3aa915@spamschutz.glglgl.de> - 2011-05-31 12:48 +0200
      Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2011-05-31 15:15 +0300
  Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-05-31 13:11 -0400
    Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-05-31 15:18 -0500
      Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-31 16:24 -0600
      Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-05-31 19:14 -0400
        Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-05-31 19:09 -0500
          Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-06-01 13:11 -0400
            Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-06-01 19:40 -0500
              Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-06-01 19:50 -0500
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-06-02 04:37 +0000
              Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-06-02 05:14 +0000
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-06-02 18:02 +1000
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2011-06-02 13:00 +0200
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2011-06-02 15:51 +0300
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-06-02 15:43 -0400
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2011-06-03 11:43 +1200
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-06-02 19:24 -0700
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2011-06-03 09:17 +0300
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-06-05 03:54 -0700
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2011-06-05 15:03 +0300
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... rusi <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2011-06-05 05:26 -0700
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2011-06-05 16:10 +0300
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Thomas Rachel <nutznetz-0c1b6768-bfa9-48d5-a470-7603bd3aa915@spamschutz.glglgl.de> - 2011-06-03 10:30 +0200
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-06-03 11:53 -0600
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Alain Ketterlin <alain@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> - 2011-06-03 12:35 +0200
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Jussi Piitulainen <jpiitula@ling.helsinki.fi> - 2011-06-03 14:07 +0300
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-06-03 15:38 -0500
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2011-06-04 12:40 +1200
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Nobody <nobody@nowhere.com> - 2011-06-03 14:07 +0100
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-06-02 10:44 -0500
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-06-02 10:55 -0500
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-06-02 17:22 +0000
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-06-02 11:43 -0600
              Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-06-02 02:02 -0400
                Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-06-02 11:02 -0500
  Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Martin Manns <mmanns@gmx.net> - 2011-05-31 23:14 +0200
    Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2011-05-31 15:47 -0600
      Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Martin Manns <mmanns@gmx.net> - 2011-06-01 02:57 +0200
    Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-05-31 16:53 -0500
      Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... harrismh777 <harrismh777@charter.net> - 2011-05-31 17:06 -0500
      Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-06-01 08:39 +1000
      Re: Something is rotten in Denmark... Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-06-01 08:40 +1000

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