Teleport method for turtle class

[begilbert-sys]

BPO	44607
Nosy	@serhiy-storchaka, @vedgar, @begilbert-sys

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2021-07-12.06:48:56.540>
labels = ['type-feature', 'expert-tkinter', '3.11']
title = 'Teleport method for turtle class'
updated_at = <Date 2021-07-12.17:42:12.710>
user = 'https://github.com/begilbert-sys'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2021-07-12.17:42:12.710>
actor = 'Muffinlicious'
assignee = 'none'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Tkinter']
creation = <Date 2021-07-12.06:48:56.540>
creator = 'Muffinlicious'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 44607
keywords = []
message_count = 4.0
messages = ['397286', '397292', '397303', '397341']
nosy_count = 3.0
nosy_names = ['serhiy.storchaka', 'veky', 'Muffinlicious']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = None
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue44607'
versions = ['Python 3.11']

Linked PRs

• gh-88773: Added teleport method to Turtle library #103974

[begilbert-sys]

I use turtle pretty often in a teaching setting. It's extremely common that I'll define the following function at the top of my code:

def teleport(x, y):
    turtle.penup()
    turtle.setpos(x, y)
    turtle.pendown()

Shouldn't this sort of method already exist within the turtle class?

[vedgar]

In my view, turtle is a great tool for exploring _polar_ coordinates. If you set emphasis to rectangular coordinates, there are many tools that are much better.

Second, your function might be ok for you, but it is really not suitable for standard library. Probably you meant something like (a method)

    def teleport(self, *args):
        restore = self.isdown()
        self.penup()
        self.setpos(*args)
        if restore: self.pendown()

[serhiy-storchaka]

What other Turtle implementations support the teleport command?

[begilbert-sys]

Turtle is the most accessible and well-known drawing module for kids to use so teleporting makes more sense in the context of drawing random shapes or small pictures around the screen. I've seen the penup/goto/pendown combo so often that I figure it at least warrants a suggestion. Also my crappy function was mostly just meant as an outline, haha.

[liam-gersten]

Hello, my name is Liam, and I’m part of a student software engineer group of 4 at Carnegie Mellon. We’ve been tasked with contributing to an open source project, and this issue seems like a great first start. Would you mind assigning this to me (my group)? Also, you might see the same comment on 1-2 other issues, since we’ll likely be working on more than just one for our assignment.

[gpshead]

FWIW I agree that a teleport is a useful feature addition.

Some existing other Turtle teleport references:

• https://weinman.cs.grinnell.edu/courses/CSC151/2014F/labs/turtle-graphics-lab.html - a Scheme or LISP looking thing containing !turtle-teleport to x y coordinates.
• https://wiki.ros.org/turtlesim#Services Robot Operating System (ROS) has a teleport-absolute and teleport-relative in its turtlesim. which takes an x y and theta angle. why it takes an angle isn't clear (i suppose to declare the new orientation); that isn't something i'd copy.

teleport is mirroring the existing goto/setpos/setposition absolute cartesian positioning API, but with more convenient semantics. A polar coordinate system teleport would be a different api and is out of scope for this feature request.

i'm reviewing the PR.

[gpshead]

Thanks for your contribution Liam, merged. We don't often touch the turtle module as it's a bit of a leftover thing that we keep in the standard library because of its usefulness in educational settings, but this feature addition made sense.