From: David Mertz <mertz@gnosis.cx>
Sent: 11 May 2020 08:34
To: Steve Barnes <GadgetSteve@live.co.uk>
Cc: python-ideas@python.org
Subject: Re: [Python-ideas] Re: Improve handling of Unicode quotes and hyphens

 

A third-party module on PyPI for "fix-the-horrible-things-Outlook-does" could be useful.  There is no way the standard library can or should keep up with the newest mangling techniques mail handlers employ in this week's version.

 

I don't understand what you mean by the current interpreter not telling you which character is bad.  It puts a pointer right under the problem character in the error message.  Nothing is being hidden, even if the code-manglers can do pretty insidious things... different in every version, for every sender, and for every recipient.

 

[Steve Barnes]

Actually, in the case of the “wrong quotes” it puts the pointer under the character before the space character or at the end of the line (if you have a fixed spacing font – worse if you don’t) – it still doesn’t tell you which character is invalid.