Indexing, formatting, sorting

Ideas
1
  1. Changing the starting index
    please, add a system variable like ‘set_index = 0’ or ‘set_index = 1’ to choose what will be the starting index in lists, tuples, range()…
  2. Formatting numbers
    please, add a system variable like number_format = ‘,.’ to format numbers like 123,456,789.00 and number_format = ‘.,’ to format numbers like 123.456.789,00
  3. Including the last number in range()
    please, add option to include the last number in range() function. Examples: range(9] includes number 9 in loops so it will loop from 0 to 9
  4. Sorting dictionaries
    my_dict.sort(‘key’) or my_dict.sort(‘value’) instead of messing with lambda or such. Much easier to understand and use.
2

For 1, you need to study more.
The index is the offset of the vector. On the first element, it has no offset so the start number is 0.
For 2, you can use it:

a = 123_456_789.00

For 3,

for i in range(9)

If it starts with 0 and ends with 9, it repeat 10 times.

For 4, use

getattr(my_dict, "keys"), getattr(my_dict, "values")
3
  1. I would like to change starting index from 0 to 1.
  2. My suggestion is about formatting number in text, like: f’ my number is {number}:.’ to get 123.456.789,00 instead of 123,456,789.00
  3. I know it will repeat 10 times with () butt I want to include number 9 in this case to repeat 11 times with (]
  4. I want to sort dictionaries easier way, not to get info.
4

1 is seems to be impossible.
2 why do you need a number like that?
3 It becomes more complex. The other people need more times to candicate the repeat times.
4 Now the implement in python is simple enough. Add a new way is uneless.:

sorted(my_dict.keys())
sorted(my_dict.values())
5
  1. I am not trying to do that. I suggest an idea.
  2. Because I live in Macedonia (Europe), not in US.
  3. Also, I am trying to suggest an idea.
  4. Up to now I can do this with lambda or by converting to lists, or… I can’t find easier way so I am also suggesting an idea.
6

There is a way for 2:

import locale
locale.setlocale(locale.LC_ALL, 'de_DE.UTF-8') 

x = 123456789.00
formatted = locale.format_string("%.2f", x, grouping=True)
print(formatted) # 123.456.789,00
3 Likes
7

The way I suggested is found in PowerBASIC years ago. I found it much easier to understand and use instead of using locales. And it will fit any language instead of only one.

8

Additional suggestions:

  1. Make strings mutable so text[5] = ‘abc’ will change the text directly instead of using replace or other string functions.
  2. Make sets keep their position any time they are called. This way they can be accessed with indexes instead by names.
9
  1. How can strings still be used as dict keys then?
  2. What do you mean with accessing sets with names?
10

  1. You are not going to change those strings used in dictionary.

  2. Well, when you want to delete an element in set you can’t do it by an index like delete a[5]. You may delete wrong element. You have to use its name. Also, if you try to print my_set[5] you will always get another value.

11
  1. You can now anyway change a string using replace or some other string functions. My suggestion is to make it easier.
12

Perhaps Python isn’t the right language for you. Have you considered designing your own language, perhaps one that compiles to Python for simplicity? You can build your own parser and then output runnable code. It sounds like you have very strong opinions about what a language should do.

11 Likes
13

Maybe it is not the right language for me, but it is not for the others that make suggestions like I do, too.

Of course I have strong opinion what a language should do. I am in this business for decades.

14

How? What even is the “name” of the element 14 in the set {3, 14}, for example?

15

If I use a object like it. Tell me what the name it is:

{object.__new__(type(exit))}
16

Sorry, wrong term used. “Item” instead of “name”. So, to delete an element you can use ‘remove’ or ‘discard’.

17

On changing the starting index - I would strongly vote against adding this as it becomes a debugging nightmare (Perl has this feature and most Perl friends would never use it).

On default formatting of floats - the format could be assigned to a variable and incorporated in f-strings. I have not fealt the need to add a (module level) global default float format myself.

Do not include the last number in a range()! There are advantages in how it is, including:

  • the length of the range is simply the upper-bound minus the lower bound.
  • It dovetails with our zero-based array indexing: an N-element array has indexes from 0 to N-1, i.e. range(N).
  • Partitioning a range into sub ranges: given a range(N) and a splitting point S < N then the split ranges are simple range(S) and range(S, N) without overlap. The ending bound of the first range is exactly the starting bound of the second range.

Sorting dictionaries: ???

1 Like
18

It’s usually only one idea that gets proposed at a time, not 6 (or 7?). And if an idea is proposed, it still takes a lot of patience to adapt it.

Changing some of the most used, and simplest features of the language, just because you feel like it would make working code break for millions (ik not kidding) of people. Python is one of the most used languages in the world, so every single change needs to be viewed from the point of others.

Perhaps implementing some of these things for yourself is possible? Overwriting list and other indexable objects is possible, and adding those new types to your scope at runtime is possible too. Implementing some other functionalities you mentioned can also work, but some, e.g. the range notation will simply raise an error.

1 Like