I really like PyYAML with the libyaml "plugin". I've been using it a lot without any troubles. So hopefully it will make it out of alpha soon :-). I have a couple of suggestions with respect to seamlessness between PyYAML in Python mode and PyYAML in C mode.
1. yaml.load's default Loader. I would suggest that this becomes CLoader when it is available (i.e., when yaml.cyaml imports successfully).
2. yaml.dump's and yaml.safe_dump's default Dumpers. Ditto.
3. Loader vs. CLoader, Dumper vs. CDumper, Emitter vs. CEmitter, etc. I would like a uniform way (without using if's) to subclass from the C version of these classes when they are available, and otherwise the Python versions of these classes. One possible solution:
- Python Loader etc. classes get renamed to PyLoader, PythonLoader, PLoader, or something along those lines.
- Loader becomes an alias to CLoader or PyLoader, whichever is the best available.
- It could also be possible to control the aliases by a function call, e.g., to force them to the Python version. Perhaps:
def set_language(lang):
"""default supported languages: 'C', 'Python'"""
import yaml
global Loader, Dumper, Emitter, ...
Loader = yaml.__dict__[lang + 'Loader']
Dumper = yaml.__dict__[lang + 'Dumper']
Emitter = yaml.__dict__[lang + 'Emitter']
...
try:
set_language('C')
except KeyError:
set_language('Py')
Currently all of my code that imports yaml starts like this:
import yaml
if hasattr (yaml, 'CLoader'):
Loader = yaml.CLoader
else:
Loader = yaml.Loader
if hasattr (yaml, 'CDumper'):
Dumper = yaml.CDumper
SafeDumper = yaml.CSafeDumper
else:
Dumper = yaml.Dumper
SafeDumper = yaml.SafeDumper
def yaml_load (x):
return yaml.load (x, Loader = Loader)
def yaml_dump (x):
return yaml.dump (x, Dumper = Dumper)
def yaml_safe_dump (x):
return yaml.dump (x, Dumper = SafeDumper)
Then I use yaml_load in place of yaml.load, yaml_dump in place of yaml.dump, and I use Loader etc. whenever I want to subclass. Needless to say, it's annoying to have to repeat this in all of my projects.
Another motivation for all this, I think, is that it's not obvious out-of-the-box how to use CLoader and friends. I don't think the average user should have to know about this distinction. If libyaml is installed, it should just work (faster).
A more minor point: Once out of alpha, could we replace setup.py and setup_with_libyaml.py with a single setup.py that does the right thing depending on what's available in the environment? (If PyRex? is installed, I don't see why we shouldn't install, unless a command-line option tells us not to. Or even if RyRex? isn't installed, as suggested in anotehr ticket.)
