Add a narrative chapter on object hashing

docs/hashing.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+Hashing
+=======
+
+.. warning::
+
+   The overarching theme is to never set the ``@attr.s(hash=X)`` parameter yourself.
+   Leave it at ``None`` which means that ``attrs`` will do the right thing for you, depending on the other parameters:
+
+   - If you want to make objects hashable by value: use ``@attr.s(frozen=True)``.
+   - If you want hashing and comparison by object identity: use ``@attr.s(cmp=False)``
+
+   Setting ``hash`` yourself can have unexpected consequences so we recommend to tinker with it only if you know exactly what you're doing.
+
+Under certain circumstances, it's necessary for objects to be *hashable*.
+For example if you want to put them into a :class:`set` or if you want to use them as keys in a :class:`dict`.
+
+The *hash* of an object is an integer that represents the contents of an object.
+It can be obtained by calling :func:`hash` on an object and is implemented by writing a ``__hash__`` method for your class.
+
+``attrs`` will happily write a ``__hash__`` method you [#fn1]_, however it will *not* do so by default.
+Because according to the definition_ from the official Python docs, the returned hash has to fullfill certrain constraints:
+
+#. Two objects that are equal, **must** have the same hash.
+   This means that if ``x == y``, it *must* follow that ``hash(x) == hash(y)``.
+
+   By default, Python classes are compared *and* hashed by their :func:`id`.
+   That means that every instance of a class has a different hash, no matter what attributes it carries.
+
+   It follows that the moment you (or ``attrs``) change the way equality is handled by implementing ``__eq__`` which is based on attribute values, this constraint is broken.
+   For that reason Python 3 will make a class that has customized equality unhashable.
+   Python 2 on the other hand will happily let you shoot your foot off.
+   Unfortunately ``attrs`` currently mimics Python 2's behavior for backward compatibility reasons if you set ``hash=False``.
+
+   The *correct way* to achieve hashing by id is to set ``@attr.s(cmp=False)``.
+   Setting ``@attr.s(hash=False)`` (that implies ``cmp=True``) is almost certainly a *bug*.
+
+#. If two object are not equal, their hash **should** be different.
+
+   While this isn't a requirement from a standpoint of correctness, sets and dicts become less effective if there are a lot of identical hashes.
+   The worst case is when all objects have the same hash which turns a set into a list.
+
+#. The hash of an object **must not** change.
+
+   If you create a class with ``@attr.s(frozen=True)`` this is fullfilled by definition, therefore ``attrs`` will write a ``__hash__`` function for you automatically.
+   You can also force it to write one with ``hash=True`` but then it's *your* responsibility to make sure that the object is not mutated.
+
+   This point is the reason why mutable structures like lists, dictionaries, or sets aren't hashable while immutable ones like tuples or frozensets are:
+   point 1 and 2 require that the hash changes with the contents but point 3 forbids it.
+
+For a more thorough explanation of this topic, please refer to this blog post: `Python Hashes and Equality`_.
+
+
+.. [#fn1] The hash is computed by hashing a tuple that consists of an unique id for the class plus all attribute values.
+
+.. _definition: https://docs.python.org/3/glossary.html#term-hashable
+.. _`Python Hashes and Equality`: https://hynek.me/articles/hashes-and-equality/

docs/index.rst

@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ Day-to-Day Usage
 ================
 
 - Once you're comfortable with the concepts, our :doc:`api` contains all information you need to use ``attrs`` to its fullest.
+- If you want to put objects into sets or use them as keys in dictionaries, they have to be hashable.
+  The simplest way to do that is to use frozen classes, but the topic is more complex than it seems and :doc:`hashing` will give you a primer on what to look out for.
 - ``attrs`` is built for extension from the ground up.
   :doc:`extending` will show you the affordances it offers and how to make it a building block of your own projects.
 
@@ -68,6 +70,7 @@ Full Table of Contents
    overview
    why
    examples
+   hashing
    api
    extending
    how-does-it-work