Metadata-Version: 1.1
Name: first
Version: 2.0.0
Summary: Return the first true value of an iterable.
Home-page: http://github.com/hynek/first/
Author: Hynek Schlawack
Author-email: hs@ox.cx
License: MIT
Description: first: The function you always missed in Python
        ===============================================
        
        *first* is a MIT licensed Python package with a simple function that returns
        the first true value from an iterable, or ``None`` if there is none.  If you
        need more power, you can also supply a ``key`` function that is used to judge
        the truth value of the element or a ``default`` value if ``None`` doesn’t fit
        your use case.
        
           I’m using the term “true” consistently with Python docs for ``any()`` and
           ``all()`` — it means that the value evaluates to true like: ``True``, ``1``,
           ``"foo"`` or ``[None]``.  But **not**: ``None``, ``False`` or ``0``.  In
           JavaScript, they call this “truthy”.
        
        
        Examples
        ========
        
        A simple example to get started: ::
        
           >>> from first import first
           >>> first([0, None, False, [], (), 42])
           42
        
        However, it’s especially useful for dealing with regular expressions in
        ``if/elif/else`` branches: ::
        
           import re
        
           from first import first
        
        
           re1 = re.compile('b(.*)')
           re2 = re.compile('a(.*)')
        
           m = first(regexp.match('abc') for regexp in [re1, re2])
           if not m:
              print('no match!')
           elif m.re is re1:
              print('re1', m.group(1))
           elif m.re is re2:
              print('re2', m.group(1))
        
        The optional ``key`` function gives you even *more* selection power.  If you
        want to return the first even number from a list, just do the following::
        
           >>> from first import first
           >>> first([1, 1, 3, 4, 5], key=lambda x: x % 2 == 0)
           4
        
        ``default`` on the other hand allows you to specify a value that is returned
        if none of the elements is true: ::
        
           >>> from first import first
           >>> first([0, None, False, [], ()], default=42)
           42
        
        
        Usage
        =====
        
        The package consists of one module consisting of one function::
        
           from first import first
        
           first(iterable, default=None, key=None)
        
        This function returns the first element of ``iterable`` that is true if
        ``key`` is ``None``.  If there is no true element, the value of ``default`` is
        returned, which is ``None`` by default.
        
        If a callable is supplied in ``key``, the result of ``key(element)`` is
        used to judge the truth value of the element, but the element itself is
        returned.
        
        *first* has no dependencies and should work with any Python available.  Of
        course, it works with the awesome `Python 3`_ everybody should be using.
        
        
        Alternatives
        ============
        
        *first* brings nothing to the table that wasn’t possible before. However the
        existing solutions aren’t very idiomatic for such a common and simple problem.
        
        The following constructs are equivalent to ``first(seq)`` and work since Python
        2.6: ::
        
           next(itertools.ifilter(None, seq), None)
           next(itertools.ifilter(bool, seq), None)
           next((x for x in seq if x), None)
        
        None of them is as pretty as I’d like them to be. The ``re`` example from
        above would look like the following: ::
        
           next(itertools.ifilter(None, (regexp.match('abc') for regexp in [re1, re2])), None)
           next((regexp.match('abc') for regexp in [re1, re2] if regexp.match('abc')), None)
        
        Note that in the second case you have to call ``regexp.match()`` *twice*.  For
        comparison, one more time the *first*-version: ::
        
           first(regexp.match('abc') for regexp in [re1, re2])
        
        Idiomatic, clear and readable. Pythonic. :)
        
        
        Background
        ==========
        
        The idea for *first* goes back to a discussion I had with `Łukasz Langa`_ about
        how the ``re`` example above is painful in Python.  We figured such a function
        is missing Python, however it’s rather unlikely we’d get it in and even if, it
        wouldn’t get in before 3.4 anyway, which is years away as of yours truly is
        writing this.
        
        So I decided to release it as a package for now.  If it proves popular enough,
        it may even make it into Python’s stdlib in the end.
        
        
        .. _`Python 3`: http://getpython3.com/
        .. _`Łukasz Langa`: https://github.com/ambv
        
        
        History
        =======
        
        2.0.0 (2012-10-13)
        ------------------
           - `pred` proved to be rather useless.  Changed to `key` which is just
             a selector.  This is a *backward incompatible* change and the reason for
             going 2.0.
           - Add `default` argument which is returned instead of `None` if no true
             element is found.
        
        1.0.2 (2012-10-09)
        ------------------
           - Fix packaging. I get this never right the first time. :-/
        
        1.0.1 (2012-10-09)
        ------------------
           - Documentation fixes only.
        
        1.0.0 (2012-10-09)
        ------------------
           - Initial release.
        
        
        Credits
        =======
        
        “first” is written and maintained by Hynek Schlawack and various contributors:
        
        - Łukasz Langa
        - Nick Coghlan
        - Vincent Driessen
        
Platform: UNKNOWN
Classifier: Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable
Classifier: Intended Audience :: Developers
Classifier: Natural Language :: English
Classifier: License :: OSI Approved :: MIT License
Classifier: Operating System :: OS Independent
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 2
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 2.3
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 2.4
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 2.5
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 2.6
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.0
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.1
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.2
Classifier: Programming Language :: Python :: 3.3
Classifier: Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules
