[Python-Dev] unicodedata.numeric (was RE: stupid floating point question...)

[Neil Hodgson]

[Tim]
> Which is why I have to wonder whether there's *any* value in exposing the
> numeric-value property beyond regular old digits.

   Running (in IDLE or PythonWin with a font that covers most of Unicode
like Tahoma):
import unicodedata
for c in range(0x10000):
 x=unichr(c)
 try:
    b = unicodedata.numeric(x)
    #print "numeric:", repr(x)
    try:
      a = unicodedata.digit(x)
      if a != b:
       print "bad" , repr(x)
    except:
      print "Numeric but not digit", hex(c), x.encode("utf8"), "numeric ->",
b
 except:
  pass

   Finds about 130 characters. The only ones I feel are worth worrying about
are the half, quarters and eighths (0xbc, 0xbd, 0xbe, 0x215b, 0x215c,
0x215d, 0x215e) which are commonly used for expressing the prices of stocks
and commodities in the US. This may be rarely used but it is better to have
it available than to have people coding up their own translation tables.

   The 0x302* 'Hangzhou' numerals look like they should be classified as
digits.

   Neil