Re: [Visualpython-users] Experimental clean import capability

[C A. R. <an...@ex...>]

On Sun, Oct 10, 2010 at 2:51 PM, Bruce Sherwood <bas...@nc...> wrote:
> On Sat, Oct 9, 2010 at 10:11 PM, Bruce Sherwood <bas...@nc...> wrote:
>> In the "For developers" section of vpython.org is a zip file
>> containing experimental code for doing either the convenient "from
>> visual import *" or a clean "import vpython". Please try this out and
>> post comments about whether this would meet your needs, or how it
>> should be changed, or offer a different scheme entirely. Once we reach
>> agreement, this will become a part of VPython 5.4 for Python 2.7 and
>> Python 3.1.

Perfect, will take a look.

>> I was able to follow the suggestion to put almost everything in the
>> new vpython folder, so that the visual folder mostly just imports from
>> the vpython folder. I thought it might be possible, and clean, to put
>> the two modules inside one folder, but that doesn't work. I'm very
>> hazy on how the import search works. If you see a way to have one
>> folder rather than two, please explain.

I personally think two folders/modules is desirable.  The only way I
think there should be one, is if the "visual" namespace can be used
for the pythonic module, and something else (ie. visual.physics, etc.)
used for the wildcard module ;-)

>> As far as I can tell from my tests, there is complete backward
>> compatibility with existing programs.
>>
>> Bruce Sherwood
>
> A colleague correctly points out that "vpython" isn't an appropriate
> name for the other module, because of confusion with the cover term
> (VPython = Visual+Python).

I don't understand what you mean here, what's the issue exactly?

> A better name might be for example
> visual_parts;

This particular name makes the proper module seem more like a second
class citizen.  IMO, the clean module _is_ vpython... the "visual"
module is not.

> note that whatever the name is, presumably it will get
> imported with a short name (much as the scipy world settled on import
> numpy as np). You're invited to suggest a better name.

I might be alone here, but I rarely use a different name for imports,
unless there will be conflict, but i like everything to be explicit...
I don't like to have to look it up when i read the code later.

But if vpython really cannot work, I still like either visualpy,
visuallib, or maybe even pyvisual/visualpy.

C Anthony