Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed2.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.007 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'else:': 0.03; 'string': 0.09; 'executed': 0.09; 'parameter': 0.09; 'scripting': 0.09; 'subject:string': 0.09; 'python': 0.11; 'def': 0.12; '2.7': 0.14; 'language.': 0.14; 'c/c++': 0.16; 'java.': 0.16; 'readable': 0.16; 'rebelled': 0.16; 'rewriting': 0.16; 'statement.': 0.16; 'subject:library': 0.16; 'library': 0.18; 'replacing': 0.19; 'seems': 0.21; '(the': 0.22; 'command': 0.22; 'shell': 0.22; 'print': 0.22; 'header:User-Agent:1': 0.23; 'from:addr:chris': 0.24; 'received:comcast.net': 0.24; 'script.': 0.24; 'java': 0.24; 'script': 0.25; 'this:': 0.26; 'second': 0.26; 'skip:" 20': 0.27; 'function': 0.29; 'chris': 0.29; "i'm": 0.30; 'end,': 0.31; 'class': 0.32; 'this.': 0.32; 'linux': 0.33; 'community': 0.33; 'style': 0.33; 'subject:the': 0.34; 'basic': 0.35; 'but': 0.35; 'version': 0.36; 'c++': 0.36; 'curious': 0.36; 'subject:?': 0.36; 'thank': 0.38; '(i.e.,': 0.38; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; "couldn't": 0.39; 'visual': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'either': 0.39; 'called': 0.40; 'read': 0.60; 'first': 0.61; 'teaching': 0.64; 'more': 0.64; 'forward': 0.65; 'license': 0.66; 'line,': 0.68; 'default': 0.69; 'received:199': 0.74; 'article': 0.77; 'college,': 0.84; 'afford': 0.91; 'taught': 0.96 Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 10:38:47 -0700 From: "C.D. Reimer" User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; WOW64; rv:24.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/24.6.0 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: python-list@python.org Subject: What's the proper style for a library string function? Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 47 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1405791581 news.xs4all.nl 2937 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:42266 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:74823 Greetings, I typically write a Python 2.7 string function in my library like this: def getCompletedTime(start, end): return "Time completed:", str(end - start) And called it like this: print getCompletedTime(start, end) Since every Python script I write is executed from the command line, I rewrote the string function like this: def getCompletedTime(start, end): print "Time completed:", str(end - start) And call it like this: getCompletedTime(start, end) The first version is what I'm familiar with having reluctantly learned Java at community college, which couldn't afford a Microsoft site license for Visual C++ and taught every class in Java. (The Linux instructor rebelled against this policy by teaching basic C/C++ and shell scripting in his classes.) I recently read an article that Python is replacing Java as a teaching language. The second version is more straight forward but seems less readable (i.e., "print getCompletedTime(start, end)" vs. "getCompletedTime(start, end)") from the calling script. Alternatively, I thought about rewriting the string function to accept an extra parameter to do either and default to the print statement. def getCompletedTime(start, end, type = 'p'): string = "Time completed: " + str(end - start) if type == 'p': print string else: return string I'm curious as to what the proper Python style would be for this. Thank you, Chris Reimer