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Date: Sat, 30 May 2015 03:08:21 +1000
Subject: Re: What is considered an "advanced" topic in Python?
From: Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com>
Cc: "python-list@python.org" <python-list@python.org>
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On Sat, May 30, 2015 at 2:57 AM, Mike Driscoll <kyosohma@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Good fun! A few ideas:
>>
>> How to write decorators, particularly those that take parameters.
>
> Yes, this one always seems to trip people up.

It's like a Sherlock Holmes pronouncement. When you see something like
Flask's app.route(), or functools.wraps(), it's pure magic and
completely incomprehensible. But break it down into little pieces (a
function that takes a function and returns a function, then decorator
syntax, then closures and the ability to call the original, and
finally a decorator factory function, which is what a parameterized
decorator is), and it becomes elementary.

>> The differences between the various number types (int, float, complex,
>> Fraction, Decimal) and when you'd want each one.
>
> I hadn't considered this one

It's not often an actual *problem* - I've never seen anyone pick the
wrong data type and mess up their code, not in Python - but it's a
great way to explore some of the differences between real numbers and
what computers work with. Also, I like talking about Fraction and
Decimal for the simple reason that they're unobvious; you can poke
around with Python and discover int and float, and if ever you need
imaginary/complex numbers, you'll quickly come across complex, but you
might use Python for years and not realize that decimal.Decimal even
exists - nor when you'd want it.

ChrisA