[Python-3000] PEP 3138- String representation in Python 3000

[M.-A. Lemburg]

On 2008-05-19 23:03, Martin v. Löwis wrote:
>> They are convenience methods to the codecs registry
>> with the added benefit of applying type checks which the codecs
>> registry does not guarantee since it only manages codecs.
> 
> I argue that things that could be parameters to .transform don't
> belong into the codec registry in the first place.
> 
>> Of course, you can write everything directly against the codec
>> registry or some other specialized interface, but that's not
>> really what we're after here.
> 
> No need for writing directly against the codec registry.
> 
> Using some other specialized interface: yes, Yes, YES!

So you would like to force users to write e.g.

def uu(input,errors='strict',filename='<data>',mode=0666):
     from cStringIO import StringIO
     from binascii import b2a_uu
     # using str() because of cStringIO's Unicode undesired Unicode behavior.
     infile = StringIO(str(input))
     outfile = StringIO()
     read = infile.read
     write = outfile.write

     # Encode
     write('begin %o %s\n' % (mode & 0777, filename))
     chunk = read(45)
     while chunk:
         write(b2a_uu(chunk))
         chunk = read(45)
     write(' \nend\n')

     return outfile.getvalue()

(this is adapted Py2 code taken from the uu codec)

instead of writing

output = input.transform('uu')

Fair enough, I've noted your -1.

Still, I don't think the specialized interfaces are very user-friendly.
They do serve their purpose, but common usage just doesn't really bother
with all those details.

And it doesn't end there...

You have to look up, implement and test a similar standardizing function
for all other specialized interfaces you want to use as well - more or
less reinventing the codec interface for every application you write.

Anyway, even without a .transform() method, you can still do:

import codecs
output = codecs.encode(input, 'uu')

However, you then have to do the type checking yourself.

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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