executive summary:
Instead of typing 'apply(f, args, kwargs)' you can type 'f(*arg, **kwargs)'.
Some file-by-file details follow.
Grammar/Grammar:
simplify varargslist, replacing '*' '*' with '**'
add * & ** options to arglist
Include/opcode.h & Lib/dis.py:
define three new opcodes
CALL_FUNCTION_VAR
CALL_FUNCTION_KW
CALL_FUNCTION_VAR_KW
Python/ceval.c:
extend TypeError "keyword parameter redefined" message to include
the name of the offending keyword
reindent CALL_FUNCTION using four spaces
add handling of sequences and dictionaries using extend calls
fix function import_from to use PyErr_Format
For a long time I've seen absurd tracebacks under -O (e.g., negative
line numbers), but very rarely. Since I was looking at tracebacks
anyway, thought I'd track it down. Turns out to be Guido's only
predictable blind spot <wink -- "char" is signed on some non-GvR
systems>. Patch follows.
happen when you use a non-keyword argument after a keyword argument,
and in this case you also get a syntax error. I fully suspect that
the underflow is caused by the code that stops generating code when it
detects the syntax error, but I can't find the culprit right now. I
know, I know.)
have a unique name, otherwise they get squished by locals2fast (or
fast2locals, I dunno) when the debugger is invoked before they have
been transferred to real locals.