[Python-Dev] Re: Multiline string constants, include in the standard library?

[Ville Vainio]

Fran=E7ois Pinard wrote:

>>>    >>> def stripIndent( s ):
>>>    ...     indent =3D len(s) - len(s.lstrip())
>>>    ...     sLines =3D s.split('\n')
>>>    ...     resultLines =3D [ line[indent:] for line in sLines ]
>>>    ...     return ''.join( resultLines )
>>>     =20
>>>
>
>
> =20
>
>>Something like this should really be available somewhere in the standar=
d
>>library (string module [yeah, predeprecation, I know], string
>>   =20
>>
>In fact, I like my doc-strings and other triple-quoted strings flushed l=
eft.
>So, I can see them in the code exactly as they will appear on the screen.
>
Enabling one to strip the indentation wouldn't hurt this practice of=20
yours one bit (nobody forces you to use it). To my eyes left-flushing=20
the blocks disrupts the natural "flow" of the code, and breaks the=20
intuitive block structure of the program.

>If I used artificial margins in Python so my doc-strings appeared to be
>indented more than the surrounding, and wrote my code this way, it would
>appear artificially constricted on the left once printed.  It's not wort=
h.
>
Could you axplain what you mean by artificially constricted? Of course=20
only the amount of space in the left margin would be removed,=20
indentation would work exactly the same.

Which one looks better:
++++++++++++++++++++++++
def usage():
    if 1:
        print """\
        You should have done this
        and that
        """.stripindent()
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
def usage():
    if 1:
        print """\
You should have done this
and that
"""
++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When you are scanning code, the non-stripindent version of the 3-quoted=20
string jumps at your face as a "top-level" construct, even if it is only=20
associated with the usage() function.

>My opinion is that it is nice this way.  Don't touch the thing! :-)
>
Again, the change would not influence your code or practices one bit.

-- Ville