[Python-Dev] "data".decode(encoding) ?!

[Guido van Rossum]

> > Can you provide examples of where this can't be done using the
> > existing approach?
> 
> There is no existing elegant approach except hooking up to the
> codecs directly. Adding .decode() is really a matter of adding
> symmetry.

Yes, but symmetry is good except when it isn't. :-)

> Here are some example of how these two codec methods could
> be used:
> 
> 	xmltext = binarydata.encode('base64')
> 	...
> 	binarydata = xmltext.decode('base64')
> 
> 	zzz = data.encode('gzip')
> 	...
> 	data = zzz.decode('gzip')
> 
> 	jpegimage = gifimage.decode('gif').encode('jpeg')
> 
> 	mp3audio = wavaudio.decode('wav').encode('mp3')
> 
> 	etc.

How would you do this currently?

> Basically all content transfer encodings can take advantage of
> these two methods.
> 
> It's not really code bloat, BTW, since the C API is there;
> the .decode() method would just expose it.

Show me the patch and I'll decide whether it's code bloat. :-)

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