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diff --git a/Doc/ref7.tex b/Doc/ref7.tex deleted file mode 100644 index 9bce121..0000000 --- a/Doc/ref7.tex +++ /dev/null @@ -1,391 +0,0 @@ -\chapter{Compound statements} -\indexii{compound}{statement} - -Compound statements contain (groups of) other statements; they affect -or control the execution of those other statements in some way. In -general, compound statements span multiple lines, although in simple -incarnations a whole compound statement may be contained in one line. - -The \verb@if@, \verb@while@ and \verb@for@ statements implement -traditional control flow constructs. \verb@try@ specifies exception -handlers and/or cleanup code for a group of statements. Function and -class definitions are also syntactically compound statements. - -Compound statements consist of one or more `clauses'. A clause -consists of a header and a `suite'. The clause headers of a -particular compound statement are all at the same indentation level. -Each clause header begins with a uniquely identifying keyword and ends -with a colon. A suite is a group of statements controlled by a -clause. A suite can be one or more semicolon-separated simple -statements on the same line as the header, following the header's -colon, or it can be one or more indented statements on subsequent -lines. Only the latter form of suite can contain nested compound -statements; the following is illegal, mostly because it wouldn't be -clear to which \verb@if@ clause a following \verb@else@ clause would -belong: -\index{clause} -\index{suite} - -\begin{verbatim} -if test1: if test2: print x -\end{verbatim} - -Also note that the semicolon binds tighter than the colon in this -context, so that in the following example, either all or none of the -\verb@print@ statements are executed: - -\begin{verbatim} -if x < y < z: print x; print y; print z -\end{verbatim} - -Summarizing: - -\begin{verbatim} -compound_stmt: if_stmt | while_stmt | for_stmt - | try_stmt | funcdef | classdef -suite: stmt_list NEWLINE | NEWLINE INDENT statement+ DEDENT -statement: stmt_list NEWLINE | compound_stmt -stmt_list: simple_stmt (";" simple_stmt)* [";"] -\end{verbatim} - -Note that statements always end in a \verb@NEWLINE@ possibly followed -by a \verb@DEDENT@. -\index{NEWLINE token} -\index{DEDENT token} - -Also note that optional continuation clauses always begin with a -keyword that cannot start a statement, thus there are no ambiguities -(the `dangling \verb@else@' problem is solved in Python by requiring -nested \verb@if@ statements to be indented). -\indexii{dangling}{else} - -The formatting of the grammar rules in the following sections places -each clause on a separate line for clarity. - -\section{The {\tt if} statement} -\stindex{if} - -The \verb@if@ statement is used for conditional execution: - -\begin{verbatim} -if_stmt: "if" condition ":" suite - ("elif" condition ":" suite)* - ["else" ":" suite] -\end{verbatim} - -It selects exactly one of the suites by evaluating the conditions one -by one until one is found to be true (see section \ref{Booleans} for -the definition of true and false); then that suite is executed (and no -other part of the \verb@if@ statement is executed or evaluated). If -all conditions are false, the suite of the \verb@else@ clause, if -present, is executed. -\kwindex{elif} -\kwindex{else} - -\section{The {\tt while} statement} -\stindex{while} -\indexii{loop}{statement} - -The \verb@while@ statement is used for repeated execution as long as a -condition is true: - -\begin{verbatim} -while_stmt: "while" condition ":" suite - ["else" ":" suite] -\end{verbatim} - -This repeatedly tests the condition and, if it is true, executes the -first suite; if the condition is false (which may be the first time it -is tested) the suite of the \verb@else@ clause, if present, is -executed and the loop terminates. -\kwindex{else} - -A \verb@break@ statement executed in the first suite terminates the -loop without executing the \verb@else@ clause's suite. A -\verb@continue@ statement executed in the first suite skips the rest -of the suite and goes back to testing the condition. -\stindex{break} -\stindex{continue} - -\section{The {\tt for} statement} -\stindex{for} -\indexii{loop}{statement} - -The \verb@for@ statement is used to iterate over the elements of a -sequence (string, tuple or list): -\obindex{sequence} - -\begin{verbatim} -for_stmt: "for" target_list "in" condition_list ":" suite - ["else" ":" suite] -\end{verbatim} - -The condition list is evaluated once; it should yield a sequence. The -suite is then executed once for each item in the sequence, in the -order of ascending indices. Each item in turn is assigned to the -target list using the standard rules for assignments, and then the -suite is executed. When the items are exhausted (which is immediately -when the sequence is empty), the suite in the \verb@else@ clause, if -present, is executed, and the loop terminates. -\kwindex{in} -\kwindex{else} -\indexii{target}{list} - -A \verb@break@ statement executed in the first suite terminates the -loop without executing the \verb@else@ clause's suite. A -\verb@continue@ statement executed in the first suite skips the rest -of the suite and continues with the next item, or with the \verb@else@ -clause if there was no next item. -\stindex{break} -\stindex{continue} - -The suite may assign to the variable(s) in the target list; this does -not affect the next item assigned to it. - -The target list is not deleted when the loop is finished, but if the -sequence is empty, it will not have been assigned to at all by the -loop. - -Hint: the built-in function \verb@range()@ returns a sequence of -integers suitable to emulate the effect of Pascal's -\verb@for i := a to b do@; -e.g. \verb@range(3)@ returns the list \verb@[0, 1, 2]@. -\bifuncindex{range} -\index{Pascal} - -{\bf Warning:} There is a subtlety when the sequence is being modified -by the loop (this can only occur for mutable sequences, i.e. lists). -An internal counter is used to keep track of which item is used next, -and this is incremented on each iteration. When this counter has -reached the length of the sequence the loop terminates. This means that -if the suite deletes the current (or a previous) item from the -sequence, the next item will be skipped (since it gets the index of -the current item which has already been treated). Likewise, if the -suite inserts an item in the sequence before the current item, the -current item will be treated again the next time through the loop. -This can lead to nasty bugs that can be avoided by making a temporary -copy using a slice of the whole sequence, e.g. -\index{loop!over mutable sequence} -\index{mutable sequence!loop over} - -\begin{verbatim} -for x in a[:]: - if x < 0: a.remove(x) -\end{verbatim} - -\section{The {\tt try} statement} \label{try} -\stindex{try} - -The \verb@try@ statement specifies exception handlers and/or cleanup -code for a group of statements: - -\begin{verbatim} -try_stmt: try_exc_stmt | try_fin_stmt -try_exc_stmt: "try" ":" suite - ("except" [condition ["," target]] ":" suite)+ - ["else" ":" suite] -try_fin_stmt: "try" ":" suite - "finally" ":" suite -\end{verbatim} - -There are two forms of \verb@try@ statement: \verb@try...except@ and -\verb@try...finally@. These forms cannot be mixed. - -The \verb@try...except@ form specifies one or more exception handlers -(the \verb@except@ clauses). When no exception occurs in the -\verb@try@ clause, no exception handler is executed. When an -exception occurs in the \verb@try@ suite, a search for an exception -handler is started. This inspects the except clauses in turn until -one is found that matches the exception. A condition-less except -clause, if present, must be last; it matches any exception. For an -except clause with a condition, that condition is evaluated, and the -clause matches the exception if the resulting object is ``compatible'' -with the exception. An object is compatible with an exception if it -is either the object that identifies the exception, or (for exceptions -that are classes) it is a base class of the exception, or it is a -tuple containing an item that is compatible with the exception. Note -that the object identities must match, i.e. it must be the same -object, not just an object with the same value. -\kwindex{except} - -If no except clause matches the exception, the search for an exception -handler continues in the surrounding code and on the invocation stack. - -If the evaluation of a condition in the header of an except clause -raises an exception, the original search for a handler is cancelled -and a search starts for the new exception in the surrounding code and -on the call stack (it is treated as if the entire \verb@try@ statement -raised the exception). - -When a matching except clause is found, the exception's parameter is -assigned to the target specified in that except clause, if present, -and the except clause's suite is executed. When the end of this suite -is reached, execution continues normally after the entire try -statement. (This means that if two nested handlers exist for the same -exception, and the exception occurs in the try clause of the inner -handler, the outer handler will not handle the exception.) - -Before an except clause's suite is executed, details about the -exception are assigned to three variables in the \verb@sys@ module: -\verb@sys.exc_type@ receives the object identifying the exception; -\verb@sys.exc_value@ receives the exception's parameter; -\verb@sys.exc_traceback@ receives a traceback object (see section -\ref{traceback}) identifying the point in the program where the -exception occurred. -\bimodindex{sys} -\ttindex{exc_type} -\ttindex{exc_value} -\ttindex{exc_traceback} -\obindex{traceback} - -The optional \verb@else@ clause is executed when no exception occurs -in the \verb@try@ clause. Exceptions in the \verb@else@ clause are -not handled by the preceding \verb@except@ clauses. -\kwindex{else} - -The \verb@try...finally@ form specifies a `cleanup' handler. The -\verb@try@ clause is executed. When no exception occurs, the -\verb@finally@ clause is executed. When an exception occurs in the -\verb@try@ clause, the exception is temporarily saved, the -\verb@finally@ clause is executed, and then the saved exception is -re-raised. If the \verb@finally@ clause raises another exception or -executes a \verb@return@, \verb@break@ or \verb@continue@ statement, -the saved exception is lost. -\kwindex{finally} - -When a \verb@return@ or \verb@break@ statement is executed in the -\verb@try@ suite of a \verb@try...finally@ statement, the -\verb@finally@ clause is also executed `on the way out'. A -\verb@continue@ statement is illegal in the \verb@try@ clause. (The -reason is a problem with the current implementation --- this -restriction may be lifted in the future). -\stindex{return} -\stindex{break} -\stindex{continue} - -\section{Function definitions} \label{function} -\indexii{function}{definition} - -A function definition defines a user-defined function object (see -section \ref{types}):\footnote{The new syntax to receive arbitrary -keyword arguments is not yet documented in this manual. See chapter -12 of the Tutorial.} -\obindex{user-defined function} -\obindex{function} - -\begin{verbatim} -funcdef: "def" funcname "(" [parameter_list] ")" ":" suite -parameter_list: (defparameter ",")* ("*" identifier [, "**" identifier] - | "**" identifier - | defparameter [","]) -defparameter: parameter ["=" condition] -sublist: parameter ("," parameter)* [","] -parameter: identifier | "(" sublist ")" -funcname: identifier -\end{verbatim} - -A function definition is an executable statement. Its execution binds -the function name in the current local name space to a function object -(a wrapper around the executable code for the function). This -function object contains a reference to the current global name space -as the global name space to be used when the function is called. -\indexii{function}{name} -\indexii{name}{binding} - -The function definition does not execute the function body; this gets -executed only when the function is called. - -When one or more top-level parameters have the form {\em parameter = -condition}, the function is said to have ``default parameter values''. -Default parameter values are evaluated when the function definition is -executed. For a parameter with a default value, the correponding -argument may be omitted from a call, in which case the parameter's -default value is substituted. If a parameter has a default value, all -following parameters must also have a default value --- this is a -syntactic restriction that is not expressed by the grammar.% -\footnote{Currently this is not checked; instead, -{\tt def f(a=1,b)} is interpreted as {\tt def f(a=1,b=None)}.} -\indexiii{default}{parameter}{value} - -Function call semantics are described in section \ref{calls}. When a -user-defined function is called, first missing arguments for which a -default value exists are supplied; then the arguments (a.k.a. actual -parameters) are bound to the (formal) parameters, as follows: -\indexii{function}{call} -\indexiii{user-defined}{function}{call} -\index{parameter} -\index{argument} -\indexii{parameter}{formal} -\indexii{parameter}{actual} - -\begin{itemize} - -\item -If there are no formal parameters, there must be no arguments. - -\item -If the formal parameter list does not end in a star followed by an -identifier, there must be exactly as many arguments as there are -parameters in the formal parameter list (at the top level); the -arguments are assigned to the formal parameters one by one. Note that -the presence or absence of a trailing comma at the top level in either -the formal or the actual parameter list makes no difference. The -assignment to a formal parameter is performed as if the parameter -occurs on the left hand side of an assignment statement whose right -hand side's value is that of the argument. - -\item -If the formal parameter list ends in a star followed by an identifier, -preceded by zero or more comma-followed parameters, there must be at -least as many arguments as there are parameters preceding the star. -Call this number {\em N}. The first {\em N} arguments are assigned to -the corresponding formal parameters in the way descibed above. A -tuple containing the remaining arguments, if any, is then assigned to -the identifier following the star. This variable will always be a -tuple: if there are no extra arguments, its value is \verb@()@, if -there is just one extra argument, it is a singleton tuple. -\indexii{variable length}{parameter list} - -\end{itemize} - -Note that the `variable length parameter list' feature only works at -the top level of the parameter list; individual parameters use a model -corresponding more closely to that of ordinary assignment. While the -latter model is generally preferable, because of the greater type -safety it offers (wrong-sized tuples aren't silently mistreated), -variable length parameter lists are a sufficiently accepted practice -in most programming languages that a compromise has been worked out. -(And anyway, assignment has no equivalent for empty argument lists.) - -It is also possible to create anonymous functions (functions not bound -to a name), for immediate use in expressions. This uses lambda forms, -described in section \ref{lambda}. -\indexii{lambda}{form} - -\section{Class definitions} \label{class} -\indexii{class}{definition} - -A class definition defines a class object (see section \ref{types}): -\obindex{class} - -\begin{verbatim} -classdef: "class" classname [inheritance] ":" suite -inheritance: "(" [condition_list] ")" -classname: identifier -\end{verbatim} - -A class definition is an executable statement. It first evaluates the -inheritance list, if present. Each item in the inheritance list -should evaluate to a class object. The class's suite is then executed -in a new execution frame (see section \ref{execframes}), using a newly -created local name space and the original global name space. -(Usually, the suite contains only function definitions.) When the -class's suite finishes execution, its execution frame is discarded but -its local name space is saved. A class object is then created using -the inheritance list for the base classes and the saved local name -space for the attribute dictionary. The class name is bound to this -class object in the original local name space. -\index{inheritance} -\indexii{class}{name} -\indexii{name}{binding} -\indexii{execution}{frame} |