[Py-howto-checkins] CVS: pyhowto python-21.tex,1.19,1.20

[A.M. K. <aku...@us...>]

Update of /cvsroot/py-howto/pyhowto
In directory usw-pr-cvs1:/tmp/cvs-serv12482

Modified Files:
	python-21.tex 
Log Message:
Add section for PEP 241
Add PyUnit and sys.excepthook


Index: python-21.tex
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/py-howto/pyhowto/python-21.tex,v
retrieving revision 1.19
retrieving revision 1.20
diff -C2 -r1.19 -r1.20
*** python-21.tex	2001/03/10 16:49:07	1.19
--- python-21.tex	2001/03/23 03:29:08	1.20
***************
*** 1,8 ****
  \documentclass{howto}
  
  % $Id$
  
  \title{What's New in Python 2.1}
! \release{0.06}
  \author{A.M. Kuchling}
  \authoraddress{\email{am...@bi...}}
--- 1,10 ----
  \documentclass{howto}
  
+ \usepackage{distutils}
+ 
  % $Id$
  
  \title{What's New in Python 2.1}
! \release{0.07}
  \author{A.M. Kuchling}
  \authoraddress{\email{am...@bi...}}
***************
*** 455,458 ****
--- 457,502 ----
  
  %======================================================================
+ \section{PEP 232: Function Attributes}
+ 
+ In Python 2.1, functions can now have arbitrary information attached
+ to them.  People were often using docstrings to hold information about
+ functions and methods, because the \code{__doc__} attribute was the
+ only way of attaching any information to a function.  For example, in
+ the Zope Web application server, functions are marked as safe for
+ public access by having a docstring, and in John Aycock's SPARK
+ parsing framework, docstrings hold parts of the BNF grammar to be
+ parsed.  This overloading is unfortunate, since docstrings are really
+ intended to hold a function's documentation; for example, it means you
+ can't properly document functions intended for private use in Zope.
+ 
+ Arbitrary attributes can now be set and retrieved on functions using the
+ regular Python syntax:
+ 
+ \begin{verbatim}
+ def f(): pass
+ 
+ f.publish = 1
+ f.secure = 1
+ f.grammar = "A ::= B (C D)*"
+ \end{verbatim}
+ 
+ The dictionary containing attributes can be accessed as the function's
+ \member{__dict__}. Unlike the \member{__dict__} attribute of class
+ instances, in functions you can actually assign a new dictionary to
+ \member{__dict__}, though the new value is restricted to a regular
+ Python dictionary; you \emph{can't} be tricky and set it to a
+ \class{UserDict} instance, or any other random object that behaves
+ like a mapping.
+ 
+ \begin{seealso}
+ 
+ \seepep{232}{Function Attributes}{Written and implemented by Barry
+ Warsaw.}
+ 
+ \end{seealso}
+ 
+ 
+ %======================================================================
+ 
  \section{PEP 235: Case-Insensitive Platforms and \keyword{import}}
  
***************
*** 476,480 ****
  When using the Python interpreter interactively, the output of
  commands is displayed using the built-in \function{repr()} function.
! In Python 2.1, the variable \module{sys.displayhook} can be set to a
  callable object which will be called instead of \function{repr()}.
  For example, you can set it to a special pretty-printing function:
--- 520,524 ----
  When using the Python interpreter interactively, the output of
  commands is displayed using the built-in \function{repr()} function.
! In Python 2.1, the variable \function{sys.displayhook} can be set to a
  callable object which will be called instead of \function{repr()}.
  For example, you can set it to a special pretty-printing function:
***************
*** 535,538 ****
--- 579,626 ----
  
  %======================================================================
+ \section{PEP 241: Metadata in Python Packages}
+ 
+ A common complaint from Python users is that there's no single catalog
+ of all the Python modules in existence.  T.~Middleton's Vaults of
+ Parnassus at \url{http://www.vex.net/parnassus} are the largest
+ catalog of Python modules, but registering software at the Vaults is
+ optional, and many people don't bother.
+ 
+ As a first small step toward fixing the problem, Python software
+ packaged using the Distutils \command{sdist} command will include a
+ file named \file{PKG-INFO} containing information about the package
+ such as its name, version, and author (metadata, in cataloguing
+ terminology).  PEP 241 contains the full list of fields that can be
+ present in the \file{PKG-INFO} file.  As people began to package their
+ software using Python 2.1, more and more packages will include
+ metadata, making it possible to build automated cataloguing systems
+ and experiment with them.  With the result experience, perhaps it'll
+ be possible to design a really good catalog and then build support for
+ it into Python 2.2.  For example, the Distutils \command{sdist}
+ and \command{bdist_*} commands could support a \option{upload} option
+ that would automatically upload your package to a catalog server. 
+ 
+ You can start creating packages containing \file{PKG-INFO} even if
+ you're not using Python 2.1, since a new release of the Distutils will
+ be made for users of earlier Python versions.  Version 1.0.2 of the
+ Distutils includes the changes described in PEP 241, as well as
+ various bugfixes and enhancements.  It will be available from 
+ the Distutils SIG at \url{http://www.python.org/sigs/distutils-sig}.
+ 
+ % XXX update when I actually release 1.0.2
+ 
+ \begin{seealso}
+ 
+ \seepep{241}{Metadata for Python Software Packages}{Written and
+ implemented by A.M. Kuchling.}
+ 
+ \seepep{243}{Module Repository Upload Mechanism}{Written by Sean
+ Reifschneider, this draft PEP describes a proposed mechanism for uploading 
+ Python packages to a central server.
+ }
+ 
+ \end{seealso}
+ 
+ %======================================================================
  \section{New and Improved Modules}
  
***************
*** 565,571 ****
  \file{pydoc} quickly becomes addictive; try it out!
  
! \item The \module{doctest} module provides a testing framework based
! on running embedded examples in docstrings and comparing the results
! against the expected output.  Contributed by Tim Peters.
  
  \item The \module{difflib} module contains a class,
--- 653,665 ----
  \file{pydoc} quickly becomes addictive; try it out!
  
! \item Two different modules for unit testing were added to the
! standard library.  The \module{doctest} module, contributed by Tim
! Peters, provides a testing framework based on running embedded
! examples in docstrings and comparing the results against the expected
! output.  PyUnit, contributed by Steve Purcell, is a unit testing
! framework inspired by JUnit, which was in turn an adaptation of Kent
! Beck's Smalltalk testing framework.  See
! \url{http://pyunit.sourceforge.net/} for more information about
! PyUnit.
  
  \item The \module{difflib} module contains a class,
***************
*** 589,592 ****
--- 683,696 ----
  any encoding supported by Python, and various bugfixes for SAX, DOM,
  and the \module{minidom} module.
+ 
+ \item Ping also contributed another hook for handling uncaught
+ exceptions.  \function{sys.excepthook} can be set to a callable
+ object.  When an exception isn't caught by any
+ \keyword{try}...\keyword{except} blocks, the exception will be passed
+ to \function{sys.excepthook}, which can then do whatever it likes.  At
+ the Ninth Python Conference, Ping demonstrated an application for this
+ hook: printing an extended traceback that not only lists the stack
+ frames, but also lists the function arguments and the local variables
+ for each frame.  
  
  \item Various functions in the \module{time} module, such as