Hi people, I'm really happy to announce the first public version of Underscode, a Python identifier-like encoding. I took it mainly as a hobby so its development in time has been very irregular, but I think it's already time to release and enjoy it! Now the announcement text:

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Underscode

A Python identifier-like encoding

:Author: Ivan Vilata i Balaguer <ivan@selidor.net>__ :URL: http://underscode.selidor.net/

About Underscode

Underscode_ is an encoding which is capable of representing any Unicode string as a valid (and quite similar) Python identifier. The way Unicode strings are encoded minimises the chances of clashing with other existing names, while not obscuring the resulting string too much.

Some method decorators are provided which allow arbitrary objects to be accessed as normal instance attributes, with optional tab-completion support for interactive usage. The standard Python codec API is also supported.

Underscode-encoded (or underscoded) strings can be quickly spotted because they end with an odd number of underscores, and they contain escape sequences beginning with an underscore where characters not allowed in identifiers would be found. Some examples of underscoded strings are:

• _ encodes the empty string.
• foo_ encodes foo.
• class_ encodes class.
• foo__bar_ encodes foo_bar.
• foo_x20bar_ encodes foo bar.
• _2006_09_18_, like _20060918_, encodes 20060918.
• _x2fbin_x2fls_, encodes /bin/ls.
• The_x20Knights_x20Who_x20Say_x20_u201cNi_x21_u201d_ encodes the properly quoted The Knights Who Say “Ni!”.
• And the very flat ____init_____ which happens to be __init__.

As you see, underscoded strings are quite similar to their decoded counterparts when these are more or less identifier-like, but complex strings can still be handled.

Underscode is a very basic tool which may have several uses:

• Avoiding clashes between method names and table field names in ORMs.
• Enabling interactive attribute-like completion for children in hierarchically arranged structures (DOM trees, filesystems...), with full Unicode support.
• As an aid in the generation of RPC stubs for identifiers which are not allowed by Python.
• Computing unique IDs for sections in automatically generated XML or HTML documents.
• Naming page handlers for web server frameworks like CherryPy.
• ... just use your imagination!

The Underscode package is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) version 3 or later (see http://www.gnu.org/licenses/).

Underscoded strings as attributes

Underscode provides a module with decorators that allow you to use plain attribute access as a flexible way of accessing all kinds of "child objects" without polluting the normal attribute namespace, and with optional interactive completion if you wish so. For instance, you can make the (string) keys of a dictionary accessible as attributes::

from underscode.decorators import proxy_method

class AttributedDict(dict):
    @proxy_method(dict.__getitem__)
    def __getattr__(self, name):
        return super(AttributedDict, self).__getattr__(name)

    @proxy_method(dict.__setitem__)
    def __setattr__(self, name, value):
        super(AttributedDict, self).__setattr__(name, value)

    @proxy_method(dict.__delitem__)
    def __delattr__(self, name):
        super(AttributedDict, self).__delattr__(name)

Then, access to an attribute which looks like an underscoded string gets the name decoded and used as an argument to __getitem__():

Adding tab-completion on underscoded attributes to this simple example is as easy as applying some ready-to-use decorators on the methods used as arguments to proxy_method. See the documentation of the underscode.decorators module for more information and examples.

Python codec API support

Since the Underscode package is compliant with the standard Python codec API, you can use Underscode to encode and decode strings with the usual unicode.encode() and str.decode() calls at any time just by importing the underscode.codec subpackage (it is not automatically imported by the main underscode package):

Getting Underscode

You can point your browser at http://underscode.selidor.net/ if you want to download the source code distribution of Underscode. It uses the standard setup.py method for installation, runs on any platform and has no additional dependencies but Python version 2.4 or greater.

You may also be interested in following the development of Underscode; you can get a copy of its development Bazaar-NG_ branch with::

$ bzr get https://bzr.selidor.net/selidor/underscode/trunk underscode

Helping Underscode

There is a discussion group for Underscode at Google Groups: http://groups.google.com/group/underscode

It would be great to discuss your opinions and feelings on Underscode in the group, to know how you used it in your project, and to help solving yours and others problems there! If you come across a bug or you have some enhancement proposal, you may use the Trac_ instance available at http://underscode.selidor.net/

.. _Underscode: http://underscode.selidor.net/ .. _Bazaar-NG: http://bazaar-ng.org/ .. _Trac: http://trac.edgewall.org/

::

Ivan Vilata i Balaguer @ Welcome to the European Banana Republic! @ http://www.selidor.net/ @ http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/ @