Why is there no post-pre increment operator in python

[riteshtijoriwala]

Anyone has any idea on why is there no post/pre increment operators in
python ?
Although the statement:
++j
works but does nothing

 

[Roy Smith]

Anyone has any idea on why is there no post/pre increment operators in
python ?

Short answer: Because Guido didn't like them.

Longer answer: Because they encourage people to write cryptic one-liners.
There really isn't anything you can't write with them that you couldn't
write just as well without them. It just takes another line or two of
code. The end result may be a little longer, but it's almost always easier
to understand.

Although the statement:
++j
works but does nothing

Well, it works in the sense that it's not a syntax error, but it doesn't
quite do nothing. It applies the unary + operator to the value of j, then
does it again, then throws away the result. Granted, that's probably not
what you expected, and probably not very useful, but it's not quite
"nothing".

 

[Tim Peters]

[[email protected]]

Anyone has any idea on why is there no post/pre increment operators in
python ?

Maybe because Python doesn't aim at being a cryptic portable assembly
language? That's my guess ;-)

Although the statement:
++j
works but does nothing

That depends on the type of j, and how it implements the __pos__()
method. The builtin numeric types (integers, floats, complex)
implement __pos__ to return the base-class part of `self`. That's not
the same as doing nothing. There is no "++" operator in Python, BTW
-- that's two applications of the unary-plus operator.
<type 'float'>

If you want, you can implement __pos__ in your class so that

+a_riteshtijoriwala_object

posts messages to comp.lang.c asking why C is so inflexible ;-).

 

[Mike Meyer]

Anyone has any idea on why is there no post/pre increment operators in
python ?

For lots of good reasons.

Although the statement:
++j
works but does nothing

So does --j. They both parse as a value with two unary operators
applied to it in succession: +(+(j)) and -(-(j)).

<mike

 

[gene tani]

Anyone has any idea on why is there no post/pre increment operators in
python ?
Although the statement:
++j
works but does nothing

"+=1" and "-=1" inflate your KLOC by .001, but they always work as
expected with integers, it's when you do augmented assignments on lists
and tuples that shit happens

http://zephyrfalcon.org/labs/python_pitfalls.html

 

[Peter Hansen]

Anyone has any idea on why is there no post/pre increment operators in
python ?
Although the statement:
++j
works but does nothing

The reason is pretty complex, but here it is: Python is not C.

-Peter

 

[Roy Smith]

http://zephyrfalcon.org/labs/python_pitfalls.html

Thanks for posting that URL; I hadn't seen the list before. Skimming over
it, none of them really seemed noteworthy until I got to "5. Mutable
default arguments", which rather shocked me. Good stuff to know!

 

[gene tani]

Thanks for posting that URL; I hadn't seen the list before. Skimming over
it, none of them really seemed noteworthy until I got to "5. Mutable
default arguments", which rather shocked me. Good stuff to know!

here's my full FAQ / gotcha list

http://www.ferg.org/projects/python_gotchas.html
http://zephyrfalcon.org/labs/python_pitfalls.html
http://zephyrfalcon.org/labs/beginners_mistakes.html
http://www.python.org/doc/faq/
http://diveintopython.org/appendix/abstracts.html
http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/python/2004/02/05/learn_python.html
http://www.norvig.com/python-iaq.html
http://www.faqts.com/knowledge_base/index.phtml/fid/245
http://amk.ca/python/writing/warts

pls don't hijack threads

 

[Peter Hansen]

Thanks for posting that URL; I hadn't seen the list before.

[...]

pls don't hijack threads

Um, he didn't "hijack" it, he follow a tangent to the discussion and
even changed the Subject line in a very appropriate manner, both of are
completely acceptable netiquette and long-standing Usenet practices.

(Rather like I'm doing here.)

-Peter

 

[Fredrik Lundh]

pls don't hijack threads

this is usenet, not gene tani's web board.

if you have trouble dealing with subthreads, get a better news reader.

</F>

 

[gene tani]

Thanks for posting that URL; I hadn't seen the list before.

[...]

pls don't hijack threads

Um, he didn't "hijack" it, he follow a tangent to the discussion and
even changed the Subject line in a very appropriate manner, both of are
completely acceptable netiquette and long-standing Usenet practices.

(Rather like I'm doing here.)

Sorry, I was trying to be helpful. One thing, i think it helps to
glance over rejected PEPs every once in a while to reinforce what's not
there
http://www.python.org/peps/

-Peter

Gene