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Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention!

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On 7/29/11 8:50 PM, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
> Andrew Berg wrote:
>
>>>>>> os.path.exists(path, ignoreSymLnks=False)
>> I actually agree with you on these, which I suppose is interesting.
>
>
> Guido has a rule of thumb: "No constant arguments". Or another way to put
> it: if a function takes an argument which is nearly always a constant
> (usually, but not always, a flag) then it is usually better off as two
> functions.

That's not quite right (although I can never find a direct quote from Guido 
whenever I need to dissect the niceties of the rule). The rule of thumb is more 
like: "No literal arguments." That is, if you are typically going to use True 
and False literals for a flag, it's better to have two functions. However, if 
you have a suite of interoperating functions with the same flag argument, and 
one might reasonably want to pass the same flag value to several different calls 
using a variable, that's a reasonable use.

> But having said that, I'm currently writing a library where nearly all the
> functions violate the No Constant Argument rule. (The API isn't yet stable,
> so I may still change my mind.) Make of that what you will.

I suspect this may be an instance of the latter case.

-- 
Robert Kern

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma
  that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had
  an underlying truth."
   -- Umberto Eco

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PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-07-29 10:22 -0700
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825@gmail.com> - 2011-07-29 12:53 -0500
    Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! harrismh777 <harmar@member.fsf.org> - 2011-07-29 14:41 -0500
      Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! "Waldek M." <wm@localhost.localdomain> - 2011-07-29 21:55 +0200
    Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-07-30 10:50 +1000
      Function "modes" vs. separate functions (was: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention!) Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825@gmail.com> - 2011-07-29 20:15 -0500
        Re: Function "modes" vs. separate functions Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2011-07-30 11:57 +1000
          Re: Function "modes" vs. separate functions Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825@gmail.com> - 2011-07-29 21:28 -0500
      Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-07-30 09:48 -0400
      Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Robert Kern <robert.kern@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 23:31 -0400
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Teemu Likonen <tlikonen@iki.fi> - 2011-07-29 23:07 +0300
    Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2011-07-30 10:57 +1000
      Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Teemu Likonen <tlikonen@iki.fi> - 2011-08-01 11:19 +0300
        Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! rantingrick <rantingrick@gmail.com> - 2011-08-02 09:03 -0700
          Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-08-02 17:36 +0100
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 06:25 +1000
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Corey Richardson <kb1pkl@aim.com> - 2011-07-29 16:44 -0400
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Alister Ware <alister.ware@ntlworld.com> - 2011-07-29 21:21 +0000
    Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825@gmail.com> - 2011-07-29 16:36 -0500
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 07:43 +1000
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2011-07-29 19:30 -0400
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Michael Poeltl <michael.poeltl@univie.ac.at> - 2011-07-30 02:30 +0200
    Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2011-07-30 15:33 +0000
      Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Andrew Berg <bahamutzero8825@gmail.com> - 2011-07-30 10:56 -0500
        Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2011-08-02 23:52 -0700
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Dennis Lee Bieber <wlfraed@ix.netcom.com> - 2011-07-29 22:17 -0700
  Re: PyWart: os.path needs immediate attention! Gelonida N <gelonida@gmail.com> - 2011-08-03 11:52 +0200

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