Document generators and the yield statement, avoiding implementation details.

freddrake · freddrake · commit e31e9cebc07a · 2001-12-11T21:10:08.000Z
diff --git a/Doc/ref/ref3.tex b/Doc/ref/ref3.tex
@@ -503,6 +503,18 @@ \section{The standard type hierarchy\label{types}}
 not converted to bound methods; this \emph{only} happens when the
 function is an attribute of the class.
 
+\item[Generator functions\index{generator!function}\index{generator!iterator}]
+A function or method which uses the \keyword{yield} statement (see
+section~\ref{yield}, ``The \keyword{yield} statement'') is called a
+\dfn{generator function}.  Such a function, when called, always
+returns an iterator object which can be used to execute the body of
+the function:  calling the iterator's \method{next()} method will
+cause the function to execute until it provides a value using the
+\keyword{yield} statement.  When the function executes a
+\keyword{return} statement or falls off the end, a
+\exception{StopIteration} exception is raised and the iterator will
+have reached the end of the set of values to be returned.
+
 \item[Built-in functions]
 A built-in function object is a wrapper around a \C{} function.  Examples
 of built-in functions are \function{len()} and \function{math.sin()}
@@ -524,7 +536,7 @@ \section{The standard type hierarchy\label{types}}
 \code{\var{list}.append()}, assuming
 \var{list} is a list object.
 In this case, the special read-only attribute \member{__self__} is set
-to the object denoted by \code{list}.
+to the object denoted by \var{list}.
 \obindex{built-in method}
 \obindex{method}
 \indexii{built-in}{method}
diff --git a/Doc/ref/ref6.tex b/Doc/ref/ref6.tex
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ \chapter{Simple statements \label{simple}}
               | \token{del_stmt}
               | \token{print_stmt}
               | \token{return_stmt}
+              | \token{yield_stmt}
               | \token{raise_stmt}
               | \token{break_stmt}
               | \token{continue_stmt}
@@ -436,6 +437,57 @@ \section{The \keyword{return} statement \label{return}}
 before really leaving the function.
 \kwindex{finally}
 
+In a generator function, the \keyword{return} statement is not allowed
+to include an \grammartoken{expression_list}.  In that context, a bare
+\keyword{return} indicates that the generator is done and will cause
+\exception{StopIteration} to be raised.
+
+
+\section{The \keyword{yield} statement \label{yield}}
+\stindex{yield}
+
+\begin{productionlist}
+  \production{yield_stmt}
+             {"yield" \token{expression_list}}
+\end{productionlist}
+
+\index{generator!function}
+\index{generator!iterator}
+\index{function!generator}
+\exindex{StopIteration}
+
+The \keyword{yield} statement is only used when defining a generator
+function, and is only used in the body of the generator function.
+Using a \keyword{yield} statement in a function definition is
+sufficient to cause that definition to create a generator function
+instead of a normal function.
+
+When a generator function is called, it returns an iterator known as a
+generator iterator, or more commonly, a generator.  The body of the
+generator function is executed by calling the generator's
+\method{next()} method repeatedly until it raises an exception.
+
+When a \keyword{yield} statement is executed, the state of the
+generator is frozen and the value of \grammartoken{expression_list} is
+returned to \method{next()}'s caller.  By ``frozen'' we mean that all
+local state is retained, including the current bindings of local
+variables, the instruction pointer, and the internal evaluation stack:
+enough information is saved so that the next time \method{next()} is
+invoked, the function can proceed exactly as if the \keyword{yield}
+statement were just another external call.
+
+One restriction in the use of the \keyword{yield} statement is is that
+is is not allowed in the try clause of a \keyword{try}
+...\ \keyword{finally} construct.  The difficulty is that there's no
+guarantee the generator will ever be resumed, hence no guarantee that
+the \keyword{finally} block will ever get executed.
+
+\begin{seealso}
+  \seepep{0255}{Simple Generators}
+         {The proposal for adding generators and the \keyword{yield}
+          statement to Python.}
+\end{seealso}
+
 
 \section{The \keyword{raise} statement \label{raise}}
 \stindex{raise}
