I do indeed know python (infact, this site is generated by a Jython script I hacked together). I can even point out a bug in your code; the constructor should contain the line "self.index={}" not "index={}" :P

I do have a preference for doing code examples in Java since that is the main theme of my blog, and I can assume that the reader will be more familiar with Java than something else. Having said that, I’m a big fan of Python/Jython from way back.

=Matt

You should get to know Python/Jython, especially if you think in & explain things in code. It is much clearer and more concise than "Java as pseudocode".

I translated the FastCustomerIndex example into Python.

A few things about Python illustrated below:

• init defines a class constructor

• [a,b,c] defines a list

• {key: value, key1:value1 } defines a dictionary (like a map)

• you must explicitly pass the class instance into methods ("self", corrseponding to Java’s "this"), and must use it explicitly to access fields/methods

• triple-quoted strings can span lines:
  """line 1
  line 2"""
  A string as the first part of a method body becomes the method’s
  documentation string - an attribute of the method that is available
  at runtime for inspection (Reflection)

• I didn’t return immutable lists - I found the code clearer without that. The easiest way in Python
  is just to copy the list, but if size is a concern, you could wrap it in an immutable sequence class as well…
  
class FastCustomerIndex:
def init( self ):
"""
Construct FastCustomerIndex.
index is a dict that maps field name ("first" or "last") to a dict
that maps values (first names or last names) to a list of Customers with
that name/value (ie; that has that first/last name).

  Example: Given j = Customer( "George Bush" )
  {
  "first" : { "George": [ Customer( "George Bush" ) ] },
  "last" : { "Bush": [ Customer( "George Bush" ) ] }
  }
  """
  index = {}

  def getFieldList( self, fieldName, fieldValue ):
  """Returns list of customers"""
  fieldMap = self.index.setdefault( fieldName, {} )
  l = fieldMap.setdefault( fieldValue, [] )
  return l

  def addCustomer( self, customer ):
  """Adds customer to first and last name indices"""
  self.getFieldList( "first", customer.firstName ).append( c )
  self.getFieldList( "last", customer.lastName ).append( c )

  def findByFirstName( self, firstName ):
  """Returns a copy of the list of customers matching firstName"""
  return self.getFieldList( "first", firstName )

  def findByLastName( self, lastName ):
  """Returns a copy of the list of customers matching lastName"""
  return self.getFieldList( "last", lastName )

you bet! Most things in FishEye are powered by EyeQL on the inside (which is in turn powered by Lucene; go Lucene!). Some of these pages will have a "see associated EyeQL" kind of link.

Good point. No, no one has to learn EyeQL to make full use of FishEye. The final version will have all sorts of GUI goodness to help you get the data and reports you need (wizards, canned reports, etc.).