[Python-Dev] Re: string repr in 2.1 (fwd)

[Thomas Wouters]

Robin apparently ran into a real problem caused by the change in string
repr() semantics. Now, arguably this is his own stupid fault <wink> (and
indeed he argues that himself) but that doesn't mean we shouldn't take this
into account. We could, for instance, revert 2.1.1 to the old behaviour,
giving at least *someone* a reason to switch to 2.1.1 ;) Or we could decide
what the string repr() change really wanted was just for the REPL to print
it like this, in which case the displayhook should fix it, not string_repr.

Opinions ? Ping, IIRC, this was your proposal, so yours would be especially
valuable ;)

----- Forwarded message from Robin Becker <robin@jessikat.fsnet.co.uk> -----

Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 09:58:49 +0100
From: Robin Becker <robin@jessikat.fsnet.co.uk>
To: Thomas Wouters <thomas@xs4all.net>
Cc: python-list@python.org
Subject: Re: string repr in 2.1

In message <20010529102414.P690@xs4all.nl>, Thomas Wouters
<thomas@xs4all.net> writes
>On Tue, May 29, 2001 at 12:47:39AM +0100, Robin Becker wrote:
>> In article <slrn9h5m4o.1hk.scarblac@pino.selwerd.nl>, Remco Gerlich
>> <scarblac@pino.selwerd.nl> writes
>
>> >Since 2.1, string repr uses heximal escapes instead of octal ones.
>
>> yes I guess all those *nix tools that like octal should be whipped and
>> made to obey the malevolent dictator.
>
>Do you have tools you use to parse quoted (repr'd) Python strings that
>handle octal correctly, but don't handle \x and \n\r escape codes ? Which
>ones ? And were you aware that they were going to break sooner or later,
>just because someone can prefer 'readable' escape codes and feed it that
>instead ? :)
>
Yes I have such tools. One is called Acrobat Reader, another is
traditional sed and awk. My dos grep doesn't seem to like hex, I suppose
I must update it and all other tools. 
 
My C compiler understands octal and the newer ones do hex as well.

I can read octal and do arithmetic in it probably easier than hex. I
don't defend the octal representation it's just very widespread in the
older tools. Our usage of repr was probably stupid as clearly repr can
change. 

How I long for my 18-bit PDP-15 :) what happened to my 15 octal digit
cdc! Oh woe is me! Where are the duo-decimal calculators of yore? 
-- 
Robin Becker


----- End forwarded message -----

-- 
Thomas Wouters <thomas@xs4all.net>

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