Some interesting and useful syntax here! However... *I’m also partial to this tr...

ottbot · on Sept 16, 2013

It could be more readable if you use a placeholder variable

  family, _ = socket.peeraddr

Which is more clear to me, but maybe not as much as just using .first

matsadler · on Sept 16, 2013

(context: I'm the author)

I do agree with you, but through some failing of my own I still quite enjoy that trick. I included it to highlight the syntax, but I'll add a note saying it's maybe not the best idea to actually use it.

garethadams · on Sept 16, 2013

I often use it when I'm running through code in a console.

I put it in production code once, but removed it when I realised the "# This comma is important" comment was longer than just using `.first`

Xylakant · on Sept 16, 2013

The

    first,_ = list

syntax also works when you're reading the two first items:

    first,second,_ = list

crymer11 · on Sept 17, 2013

As does `first, second = list.first(2)`.

masklinn · on Sept 16, 2013

Right. I think it works better in Python — although I'm partial towards `[family] = socket.peeraddr` or adding parens as the comma is a bit hard to see — because it also asserts that the RHS is a single-item iterable (or however many items you have on the left-hand side:

    >>> [a] = range(1)
    >>> [a] = range(2)
    Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
    ValueError: too many values to unpack

and it works on any iterable (any object with #to_a in ruby).