 Re: Passing objects to a function
"Thomas Philips" <tkpmep@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:b4a8ffb6.0405091315.5ecadf92@posting.google.c om...[color=blue]
> I'd like to write the parameter list of a method or function in a way
> that makes the class of each parameter crystal clear, thus decreasing
> the likelihood of a programming error.
>
> I am programming a blackjack game with Card and Hand objects, and
> these in turn have methods that require Card objects, Hand objects or
> both. For example, the class Hand has a method BlackJackValue that
> computes the value of a hand using the rules of blackjack. I'd like to
> write the method (approximately) in the form
>
> def BlackJackValue(hand=Hand):
> adfsadf
> adfasdf
> .
> .
> .
>
> It takes only one look at this method's definition to realize that it
> requires an object of type Hand. Unfortunately, my mangled syntax
> describes the way in which default parameters are passed, and does not
> allow me to document the class of each parameter. What's the right way
> to achieve my goal?
>
> Sincerely
>
> Thomas Philips[/color]
Since Python is not a language that supports manifest typing
(that is, type declarations) there is no "right" way to do what
you want. When I want to do something like that, I may go
Smalltalkish and say something like:
def BlackJackValue(aHand):
or I may go a bit more conventional and say something more
like:
def BlackJackValueOfHand(theHand):
In either case, you can always write a parameter name so that
it tells you something. Beyond that, it's simply a matter of setting
a convention and sticking to it rigorously.
John Roth
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