[Python-Dev] Alternate notation for global variable assignments

Tue Oct 28 10:36:23 EST 2003

> Why not just:
>> import whatevermynameis
>> whatevermynameis.foo = bar
>> This would be even *more* maximally obvious, as you wouldn't need to
> know what '__me__' means. :) And how often do you write a module
> without knowing what its name is, or change the name after you've
> written it? Plus, thanks to the time machine, it already works. :)

Doesn't work when your module may either be called __main__ or
rumpelstiltkin. It would then become
 if __name__ == "__main__":
 import __main__ as me
 else:
 import rumpelstiltkin as me
which loses the "aha!" effect of a cool solution. It also IMO
requires too much explanation to the unsuspecting reader who doesn't
understand right away *why* rumpelstiltkin imports itself.
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)