[Python-3000] Should len() clip to sys.maxsize or raise OverflowError?

Guido van Rossum guido at python.org
Tue Sep 2 19:26:27 CEST 2008


On Sat, Aug 30, 2008 at 8:07 AM, Hagen Fürstenau
<hagenf at coli.uni-saarland.de> wrote:
> While __len__() is allowed to return a value of any size, issues 2723
> and 3729 need a decision on what len() should do if the value doesn't
> fit in a Py_ssize_t.
>
> In a previous thread
> (http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-3000/2008-May/013387.html)
> Guido wanted len() to "lie" and return sys.maxsize in this case, but
> several people have voiced strong discomfort with that. Any comments
> or pronouncements?

I stand by my view. I might voice strong discomfort with raising an
exception because it doesn't fit in some implementation detail.

-- 
--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)


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