[Python-checkins] r87871 - python/branches/py3k/Doc/glossary.rst

Sun Jan 9 00:44:37 CET 2011

Author: raymond.hettinger
Date: Sun Jan 9 00:44:37 2011
New Revision: 87871
Log:
Issue #10357: Clarify what it means to be a mapping.
Modified:
 python/branches/py3k/Doc/glossary.rst
Modified: python/branches/py3k/Doc/glossary.rst
==============================================================================

--- python/branches/py3k/Doc/glossary.rst	(original)
+++ python/branches/py3k/Doc/glossary.rst	Sun Jan 9 00:44:37 2011
@@ -428,9 +428,11 @@
 :class:`importlib.abc.Loader` for an :term:`abstract base class`.
 
 mapping
- A container object (such as :class:`dict`) which supports arbitrary key
- lookups using the special method :meth:`__getitem__`. Mappings also
- support :meth:`__len__`, :meth:`__iter__`, and :meth:`__contains__`.
+ A container object that supports arbitrary key lookups and implements the
+ methods specified in the :class:`Mapping` or :class:`MutableMapping`
+ :ref:`abstract base classes <abstract-base-classes>`. Examples include
+ :class:`dict`, :class:`collections.defaultdict`,
+ :class:`collections.OrderedDict` and :class:`collections.Counter`.
 
 metaclass
 The class of a class. Class definitions create a class name, a class
