[albatross-users] Some questions and my albatross wrapper....

[Gabriel Cooper]

>
> <al-for expr="[('bob','smith'),('jane','doe'),]"
>    iter="iter"
>    expand="(first_name,last_name)">
> ...
>
> where the "expand" parameter expands the list given into locals.
>
> Seems to work pretty well. I suppose we could make naming the iterator 
> optional as well... I've found use for it on count() and so on, so I 
> like to keep it around. =D

Continuing that thought process.... Hm. One could combine the iter and 
expand parameters where, instead of being joined to locals, the names 
given in the expand parameter would become attributes of the iterator or 
perhaps dictionary keys, like so:

    iter.first_name
    iter.last_name

or

    iter['first_name']
    iter['last_name']

then we'd still have access to

    iter.value()
    iter.count()

etc.

Heck we could easily implement both the dictionary and attribute method 
by using this class here:

    class DictObj(dict):
        '''
        DictObj is a normal dictionary that allows you to access its members
        via the standard ``var[key]`` method as well as the 
more-readable ``var.key``.
        '''
        def __init__(self,dic={}):
            dict.__init__(self,dic)
            self.__dict__ = self

Mostly I enjoy the attribute implementation (iter.name) because it 
removes so much confusion with regard to quoting inside HTML code. i.e.

onclick="window.open('<al-value expr="someDictionary['key']"/>', 
'windowname');"

A syntax hilighter that can make it through that mess of quotes would be 
mighty impressive. Compare to:

onclick="window.open('<al-value expr='iter.key'/>', 'windowname');"

Much easier for syntax highlighters as it would consider the al-value 
nonsense a jumble of characters inside a double-quoted (") string, as 
opposed to a syntax-breaking bit of code inside an anchor tag. And also, 
the Designers here don't do much by way of programming, but they can do 
a bit by example. Dictionaries aren't as easy to remember from one month 
of disuse to the next (or how to do them) as the attribute 
implementation, since it's so much more readable and memorable.

We also wouldn't have to worry about muddying locals with for-loop refuse.

Gabriel.