Document collections.defaultdict parameter default_factory

[moshemorad12340]

BPO	41621
Nosy	@terryjreedy, @ronaldoussoren, @miss-islington, @sweeneyde
PRs	bpo-41621: More accurate signature for defaultdict #21945 [3.10] bpo-41621: Document defaultdict's default_factory parameter (GH-21945) #26850 [3.9] bpo-41621: Document defaultdict's default_factory parameter (GH-21945) #26851

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2021-06-23.14:59:34.793>
created_at = <Date 2020-08-23.19:04:06.566>
labels = ['type-bug', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11', 'ctypes', 'docs']
title = 'Document collections.defaultdict parameter default_factory'
updated_at = <Date 2021-06-23.14:59:34.793>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/moshemorad12340'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2021-06-23.14:59:34.793>
actor = 'terry.reedy'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2021-06-23.14:59:34.793>
closer = 'terry.reedy'
components = ['Documentation', 'ctypes']
creation = <Date 2020-08-23.19:04:06.566>
creator = 'moshemorad12340'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 41621
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 6.0
messages = ['375823', '375840', '375843', '396340', '396343', '396426']
nosy_count = 6.0
nosy_names = ['terry.reedy', 'ronaldoussoren', 'docs@python', 'miss-islington', 'Dennis Sweeney', 'moshemorad12340']
pr_nums = ['21945', '26850', '26851']
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue41621'
versions = ['Python 3.9', 'Python 3.10', 'Python 3.11']

[moshemorad12340]

How to reproduce
----------------

>>> from collections import defaultdict
>>> dd = defaultdict(default_factory=list)
>>> dd
defaultdict(None, {'default_factory': <class 'list'>})
>>> print(dd.default_factory)
None

Analysis
--------
defdict_init(PyObject *self, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwds) function that initializing defaultdict object ignores the kwds and pass them to the dict init only.

Expect:
-------
Since we can understand why we want to move kwds to dict without modification consider at least adding comment in the docstring or enforce it as positional argument only.

[ronaldoussoren]

This is intentional behaviour, the factory can only be passed as a positional argument.

The documentation[1] mentions this, although its probably possible to write this a bit clearer.

[1] https://docs.python.org/3.8/library/collections.html#collections.defaultdict

[sweeneyde]

PR 21945 changes the signature:

• defaultdict(default_factory[, ...])
  + defaultdict(default_factory=None, /, [...])

[terryjreedy]

New changeset d1ae570 by Dennis Sweeney in branch 'main':
bpo-41621: Document defaultdict's default_factory parameter (GH-21945)
d1ae570

[miss-islington]

New changeset a65df3f by Miss Islington (bot) in branch '3.9':
bpo-41621: Document defaultdict's default_factory parameter (GH-21945)
a65df3f

[terryjreedy]

New changeset 88a3342 by Miss Islington (bot) in branch '3.10':
bpo-41621: Document defaultdict's default_factory parameter (GH-21945)
88a3342