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submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by raldone01@lemmy.world to c/programmerhumor@lemmy.ml

Python allows programmers to pass additional arguments to functions via comments. Now armed with this knowledge head out and spread it to all code bases.

Feel free to use the code I wrote in your projects.

Link to the source code: https://github.com/raldone01/python_lessons_py/blob/main/lesson_0_comments.ipynb

Image transcription:

from lib import add

# Go ahead and change the comments.
# See how python uses them as arguments.

result = add()  # 1 2
print(result)
result = add()  # 3 4
print(result)
result = add()  # 3 4 5 20
print(result)

Output:

3
7
32
top 50 comments
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[-] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 10 hours ago

This is heresy.

[-] HStone32@lemmy.world 18 points 12 hours ago

This is an affront to nature. Comments shouldn't even make it past the scanner.

[-] yogthos@lemmy.ml 7 points 12 hours ago

we need a programming horror community for stuff like this

[-] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 27 points 1 day ago

They chose violence.

[-] would_be_appreciated@lemmy.ml 50 points 1 day ago

I assume the people freaking out about how dumb python is didn't bother to read the code and have never coded in python in their life, because the behavior here is totally reasonable. Python doesn't parse comments normally, which is what you'd expect, but if you tell it to read the raw source code and then parse the raw source code for the comments specifically, of course it does.

You would never, ever accidentally do this.

...you'd also never, ever do it on purpose.

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 10 hours ago

yeah frankly this post is borderline misinformation, they specifically import a library to read comments as arguments, it's like redefining keywords in C and complaining about C being dumb

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 9 hours ago

I'm going to say it just is misinformation, if that's what "lib" is here.

[-] bdonvr@thelemmy.club 172 points 1 day ago

IMO comments should never ever be parsed under any circumstances but I probably don't know enough to really speak on this

[-] Artyom@lemm.ee 3 points 6 hours ago

This isn't standard python. lib is not in the standard library. Python also doesn't have any special variables where it stores comments, other than __doc__ which stores a docstring. If I had to guess, add is reading the file/REPL via __file__.

[-] Rooki@lemmy.world 1 points 10 hours ago

Comments should be removed before shipping.

[-] raldone01@lemmy.world 2 points 9 hours ago

Well now that causes breakage two dependencies down the line. Good luck with that. 😅

[-] lud@lemm.ee 1 points 9 hours ago

Python is an interpreted language but for a compiled language absolutely (and obviously).

[-] jedibob5@lemmy.world 76 points 1 day ago

No, your intuition is correct, this is extremely cursed.

[-] perviouslyiner@lemmy.world 49 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Seen in a code review (paraphrased):

image of a program which is estimating the size of an array by counting how many lines of source code were used to construct it

"Why does this break when you add comments in the middle?"

[-] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 13 points 1 day ago

Why would python even expose the current line number? What’s it useful for?

[-] raldone01@lemmy.world 28 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

On a serious note:

This feature is actually very useful. Libraries can use it create neat error messages. It is also needed when logging information to a file.

You should however never ever parse the source code and react to it differently.

[-] Dicska@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago

You underestimate the power of us, print debuggers.

[-] hackerwacker@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 day ago

Why wouldn't it? Lots of languages do. In C++ you have __LINE__.

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[-] bjorney@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago

The add function in the example above probably traverses the call stack to see what line of the script is currently being executed by the interpreter, then reads in that line in the original script, parses the comment, and subs in the values in the function call.

This functionality exists so when you get a traceback you can see what line of code triggered it in the error message

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[-] arisunz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 63 points 1 day ago

I fucking hate this, thanks OP

[-] xavier666@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago

How do I delete this part of the python documentation?

[-] shotgun_crab@lemmy.world 38 points 1 day ago

This is some javascript level shit

[-] MrPoopyButthole@lemmy.world 83 points 1 day ago

That's disgusting

[-] RichardoC@lemmy.world 66 points 1 day ago

Thank you, I hate it

checks the community to make sure I'm in programmer humor

Yeah that checks out

[-] raldone01@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

You know that this is acutally working right??? 😊

Yup, just one of those posts that could of course work in either

[-] Ephera@lemmy.ml 46 points 1 day ago
[-] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 27 points 1 day ago

Yup, the function actually goes and finds the code that calls it and parses the comment.

Disgusting.

This does not actually work, right? Right?

[-] justcallmelarry@lemmy.dbzer0.com 49 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The add() function (that is available in the source code) basically uses some built in debugging tools to find out where in the code the function is called, and then parses the comment from the file and uses it for adding stuff.

I’ve never tried (becuse why would you…) but something similar can probably be built in any interpreted language

It’s not something Python does by design

[-] N0x0n@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Thanks :) ! Could you tell me what use case/purpose such function can have from a dev perspective?

[-] bjorney@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago

This stuff is normally used for creating human readable error messages. E.g. printing the line of your code that actually set off the exception

[-] vort3@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 day ago

I'd say nothing that can't be achieved by docstrings.

[-] justcallmelarry@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This specific use case? To make a meme, mainly ¯\(ツ)

As for the components: Parsing comments have been used for stuff like type hints / formatting / linting, tho generally not at run time (afaik).

The tooling for finding out where something is called from can be used to give a better understanding of where things go wrong when an exception happens or similar, to add to logs.

I would say that in general you don’t need either functionality except for certain edge-usecases

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[-] FourPacketsOfPeanuts@lemmy.world 31 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)
[-] tetris11@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 day ago
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Every day further from god's light etc...

[-] embed_me@programming.dev 33 points 1 day ago

As if I needed more reasons to start away from python

[-] Chais@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 day ago

You can so stupid shit in any language. I admit Python doesn't exactly make it difficult. A bit like JS, but different.

[-] bjorney@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago
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[-] lowleveldata@programming.dev 8 points 1 day ago

That's quite cool. But I'm not sure what's the use case for it.

[-] LolaCat@lemmy.ca 28 points 1 day ago

I feel sick

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 day ago

What? There is no lib module.

$ python3.13 -c 'import lib'
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
    import lib
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'lib'
$
[-] b34k@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 day ago

OP wrote this add() function and has provided their own lib module in the source code.

[-] davel@lemmy.ml 22 points 1 day ago

Oh, so it’s not Python that’s cursed.

One of Python’s design philosophies is—or at least was—“we are all consenting adults here.” If you really want to turn Python into Brainfuck, the interpreter isn’t going to stop you.

[-] WILSOOON@programming.dev 9 points 1 day ago

Why, just why

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this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
240 points (92.6% liked)

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