python/cpython#107704: Argument Clinic: add support for deprecating keyword use of parameters (python/cpython#107984)

It is now possible to deprecate passing keyword arguments for
keyword-or-positional parameters with Argument Clinic, using the new
'/ [from X.Y]' syntax.
(To be read as "positional-only from Python version X.Y")

Co-authored-by: Erlend E. Aasland <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Alex Waygood <[email protected]>

Author: 3 people

development-tools/clinic.rst

@@ -1935,54 +1935,70 @@ The generated docstring ends up looking like this:
 
 
 .. _clinic-howto-deprecate-positional:
+.. _clinic-howto-deprecate-keyword:
 
-How to deprecate passing parameters positionally
-------------------------------------------------
+How to deprecate passing parameters positionally or by keyword
+--------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Argument Clinic provides syntax that makes it possible to generate code that
-deprecates passing :term:`arguments <argument>` positionally.
+deprecates passing :term:`arguments <argument>` for positional-or-keyword
+:term:`parameters <parameter>` positionally or by keyword.
 For example, say we've got a module-level function :py:func:`!foo.myfunc`
-that has three :term:`parameters <parameter>`:
-positional-or-keyword parameters *a* and *b*, and a keyword-only parameter *c*::
+that has five parameters: a positional-only parameter *a*, three
+positional-or-keyword parameters *b*, *c* and *d*, and a keyword-only
+parameter *e*::
 
    /*[clinic input]
    module foo
    myfunc
        a: int
+       /
        b: int
-       *
        c: int
+       d: int
+       *
+       e: int
    [clinic start generated output]*/
 
-We now want to make the *b* parameter keyword-only;
-however, we'll have to wait two releases before making this change,
+We now want to make the *b* parameter positional-only and the *d* parameter
+keyword-only;
+however, we'll have to wait two releases before making these changes,
 as mandated by Python's backwards-compatibility policy (see :pep:`387`).
 For this example, imagine we're in the development phase for Python 3.12:
 that means we'll be allowed to introduce deprecation warnings in Python 3.12
-whenever the *b* parameter is passed positionally,
-and we'll be allowed to make it keyword-only in Python 3.14 at the earliest.
+whenever an argument for the *b* parameter is passed by keyword or an argument
+for the *d* parameter is passed positionally, and we'll be allowed to make
+them positional-only and keyword-only respectively in Python 3.14 at
+the earliest.
 
 We can use Argument Clinic to emit the desired deprecation warnings
-using the ``* [from ...]`` syntax,
-by adding the line ``* [from 3.14]`` right above the *b* parameter::
+using the ``[from ...]`` syntax, by adding the line ``/ [from 3.14]`` right
+below the *b* parameter and adding the line ``* [from 3.14]`` right above
+the *d* parameter::
 
    /*[clinic input]
    module foo
    myfunc
        a: int
-       * [from 3.14]
+       /
        b: int
-       *
+       / [from 3.14]
        c: int
+       * [from 3.14]
+       d: int
+       *
+       e: int
    [clinic start generated output]*/
 
 Next, regenerate Argument Clinic code (``make clinic``),
 and add unit tests for the new behaviour.
 
 The generated code will now emit a :exc:`DeprecationWarning`
-when an :term:`argument` for the :term:`parameter` *b* is passed positionally.
+when an :term:`argument` for the :term:`parameter` *d* is passed positionally
+(e.g ``myfunc(1, 2, 3, 4, e=5)``) or an argument for the parameter *b* is
+passed by keyword (e.g ``myfunc(1, b=2, c=3, d=4, e=5)``).
 C preprocessor directives are also generated for emitting
-compiler warnings if the ``* [from ...]`` line has not been removed
+compiler warnings if the ``[from ...]`` lines have not been removed
 from the Argument Clinic input when the deprecation period is over,
 which means when the alpha phase of the specified Python version kicks in.
 
@@ -1995,21 +2011,26 @@ Luckily for us, compiler warnings are now generated:
 .. code-block:: none
 
    In file included from Modules/foomodule.c:139:
-   Modules/clinic/foomodule.c.h:139:8: warning: In 'foomodule.c', update parameter(s) 'a' and 'b' in the clinic input of 'mymod.myfunc' to be keyword-only. [-W#warnings]
-    #    warning "In 'foomodule.c', update parameter(s) 'a' and 'b' in the clinic input of 'mymod.myfunc' to be keyword-only. [-W#warnings]"
+   Modules/clinic/foomodule.c.h:139:8: warning: In 'foomodule.c', update the clinic input of 'mymod.myfunc'. [-W#warnings]
+    #    warning "In 'foomodule.c', update the clinic input of 'mymod.myfunc'. [-W#warnings]"
          ^
 
-We now close the deprecation phase by making *b* keyword-only;
-replace the ``* [from ...]`` line above *b*
-with the ``*`` from the line above *c*::
+We now close the deprecation phase by making *a* positional-only and *c*
+keyword-only;
+replace the ``/ [from ...]`` line below *b* with the ``/`` from the line
+below *a* and the ``* [from ...]`` line above *d* with the ``*`` from
+the line above *e*::
 
    /*[clinic input]
    module foo
    myfunc
        a: int
-       *
        b: int
+       /
        c: int
+       *
+       d: int
+       e: int
    [clinic start generated output]*/
 
 Finally, run ``make clinic`` to regenerate the Argument Clinic code,