Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!usenet.pasdenom.info!news.albasani.net!news.stack.nl!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed6.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!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 0.020 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.96; '*S*': 0.00; 'subject:code': 0.07; 'def': 0.13; 'algorithm': 0.13; 'range(20):': 0.16; 'roy': 0.16; 'suffix': 0.16; 'cc:addr:python-list': 0.16; 'this:': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'cc:no real name:2**0': 0.20; 'trying': 0.21; 'dec': 0.22; 'wrote': 0.22; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.22; 'figure': 0.23; 'works.': 0.23; 'cc:2**0': 0.24; 'up.': 0.25; 'code,': 0.27; 'url:mailman': 0.28; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.28; 'afternoon': 0.29; 'yield': 0.29; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.29; 'pm,': 0.29; 'strings.': 0.30; 'subject:?': 0.31; 'thu,': 0.32; 'url:listinfo': 0.32; 'it?': 0.33; 'url:python': 0.36; 'received:209.85.161': 0.36; 'sequence': 0.37; 'received:google.com': 0.37; 'not,': 0.37; 'bunch': 0.38; 'received:209.85': 0.38; 'url:org': 0.39; 'plain': 0.39; 'received:209': 0.40; '2011': 0.61; 'spend': 0.61; 'saw': 0.67; '"foo"': 0.84; 'subject:hack': 0.91 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=gamma; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to :cc:content-type:content-transfer-encoding; bh=3nPCJB8eMh9jOa7apmfld0GDd13U07udQ6BWflw8x8E=; b=IOpHSb18vjqa5luT5cpvfz0jHy67kmiJQ5M/gGpTUQJjAg74M5LDCMKQf93tqUPAPD mDtFnlPqXuRObJViyAhLIqUk53pkgDAoaW6GDkfHSsr6LddPpWGTzItKzQWFImWfoeO+ eg+LkjqF0WtaE9AeAf/DGKZ9t6famJjpZJxGA= MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: References: From: Matt Joiner Date: Thu, 1 Dec 2011 14:49:46 +1100 Subject: Re: Clever hack or code abomination? To: Roy Smith Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Cc: python-list@python.org X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.12 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: 28 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1322711411 news.xs4all.nl 6904 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:49458 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:16470 def possible_names(): yield "foo" for i in range(20): yield "foo-" + str(i) =E0=B2=A0_=E0=B2=A0 On Thu, Dec 1, 2011 at 2:15 PM, Roy Smith wrote: > I need to try a bunch of names in sequence until I find one that works > (definition of "works" is unimportant). =C2=A0The algorithm is: > > 1) Given a base name, "foo", first see if just plain "foo" works. > > 2) If not, try "foo-1", "foo-2", and so on > > 3) If you reach "foo-20", give up. > > What would you say if you saw this: > > for suffix in [''] + [str(i) for i in xrange(-1, -20, -1)]: > > It generates the right sequence of strings. =C2=A0But, if you came upon t= hat > code, would it make sense to you, or would you spend half the afternoon > trying to figure out what it did and the other half of the afternoon > ranting about the deranged lunatic who wrote it? > -- > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list