From: Michael Haggerty <mhagger@alum.mit.edu>
Date: Tue, 15 May 2012 06:43:29 GMT
Subject: Re: Index format v5
Message-ID: <4FB1FB11.70209@alum.mit.edu>
In-Reply-To: <87bolqtnva.fsf@thomas.inf.ethz.ch>

On 05/15/2012 12:10 AM, Thomas Rast wrote:
> Michael Haggerty<mhagger@alum.mit.edu>  writes:
>> 9. read_files() doesn't need to return "entries".  Since entries is an
>> array that is only mutated in place, the return value will always be
>> the same as the "entries" argument (albeit fuller).
>
> (Ab)using an array in this fashion is somewhat iffy.  It seems
> unavoidable in this case (while still retaining the runtime), but try
> not to do it too often, and perhaps name the parameter something that
> makes this clear (such as 'out').  Usually changing it to use a
> generator function (with 'yield') helps.

If the goal were an ideal Python program, then by all means generators 
are the way to go.  But since the goal is a prototype for a C program, 
then a change to using generators would just have to be undone when 
converting to C.

>> 11. It is good form to move the file-level code into a main()
>> function, then call that from the bottom of the file, something like
>> this:
>>
>>> def main(args):
>>>      ....
>>>
>>> main(sys.argv[1:])
>
> It's customary to wrap it as
>
> if __name__ == '__main__':
>      main(sys.argv[1:])
>
> That way your script becomes 'import'-able, which can be handy (if only
> for testing).

+1

Michael

-- 
Michael Haggerty
mhagger@alum.mit.edu
http://softwareswirl.blogspot.com/