It’s very convenient not to have to remember a bunch of different means/methods for performing the same conceptual operation. You might call len(x) == 0 on a list, but next time it’s a dict. Time after that it’s a complex number. The next time it’s an instance. not works in all cases.
The point stands. If you want to check if a value is “empty,” use the check for whether it’s “empty.” In Python, that’s not. If you care about different types of empty (e.g. None vs [] vs {}), then make those checks explicit. That reads a lot better than doing an explicit check where the more common “empty” check would be correct, and it also make it a lot more obvious when you’re doing something special.
I feel like that only serves the purpose up to the point that methods are not over reaching otherwise then it turns into remembering what a method does for a bunch of unrelated objects.
It’s very convenient not to have to remember a bunch of different means/methods for performing the same conceptual operation. You might call
len(x) == 0on a list, but next time it’s a dict. Time after that it’s a complex number. The next time it’s an instance.notworks in all cases.lenalso works on a dict.The point stands. If you want to check if a value is “empty,” use the check for whether it’s “empty.” In Python, that’s
not. If you care about different types of empty (e.g.Nonevs[]vs{}), then make those checks explicit. That reads a lot better than doing an explicit check where the more common “empty” check would be correct, and it also make it a lot more obvious when you’re doing something special.I feel like that only serves the purpose up to the point that methods are not over reaching otherwise then it turns into remembering what a method does for a bunch of unrelated objects.