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diff --git a/Doc/glossary.rst b/Doc/glossary.rst index 1de86ef8c0..57c6ddd725 100644 --- a/Doc/glossary.rst +++ b/Doc/glossary.rst @@ -88,10 +88,17 @@ Glossary bytes-like object An object that supports the :ref:`bufferobjects`, like :class:`bytes`, :class:`bytearray` or :class:`memoryview`. Bytes-like objects can - be used for various operations that expect binary data, such as - compression, saving to a binary file or sending over a socket. - Some operations need the binary data to be mutable, in which case - not all bytes-like objects can apply. + be used for various operations that work with binary data; these include + compression, saving to a binary file, and sending over a socket. + + Some operations need the binary data to be mutable. The documentation + often refers to these as "read-write bytes-like objects". Example + mutable buffer objects include :class:`bytearray` and a + :class:`memoryview` of a :class:`bytearray`. + Other operations require the binary data to be stored in + immutable objects ("read-only bytes-like objects"); examples + of these include :class:`bytes` and a :class:`memoryview` + of a :class:`bytes` object. bytecode Python source code is compiled into bytecode, the internal representation @@ -402,6 +409,19 @@ Glossary than compiled ones, though their programs generally also run more slowly. See also :term:`interactive`. + interpreter shutdown + When asked to shut down, the Python interpreter enters a special phase + where it gradually releases all allocated resources, such as modules + and various critical internal structures. It also makes several calls + to the :term:`garbage collector <garbage collection>`. This can trigger + the execution of code in user-defined destructors or weakref callbacks. + Code executed during the shutdown phase can encounter various + exceptions as the resources it relies on may not function anymore + (common examples are library modules or the warnings machinery). + + The main reason for interpreter shutdown is that the ``__main__`` module + or the script being run has finished executing. + iterable An object capable of returning its members one at a time. Examples of iterables include all sequence types (such as :class:`list`, :class:`str`, @@ -444,12 +464,13 @@ Glossary A number of tools in Python accept key functions to control how elements are ordered or grouped. They include :func:`min`, :func:`max`, - :func:`sorted`, :meth:`list.sort`, :func:`heapq.nsmallest`, - :func:`heapq.nlargest`, and :func:`itertools.groupby`. + :func:`sorted`, :meth:`list.sort`, :func:`heapq.merge`, + :func:`heapq.nsmallest`, :func:`heapq.nlargest`, and + :func:`itertools.groupby`. There are several ways to create a key function. For example. the :meth:`str.lower` method can serve as a key function for case insensitive - sorts. Alternatively, an ad-hoc key function can be built from a + sorts. Alternatively, a key function can be built from a :keyword:`lambda` expression such as ``lambda r: (r[0], r[2])``. Also, the :mod:`operator` module provides three key function constructors: :func:`~operator.attrgetter`, :func:`~operator.itemgetter`, and |