[Python-Dev] String module

[Raymond Hettinger]

From: "Guido van Rossum" <guido@python.org>
> Thanks!  But now we have a diverging set of isxxx methods for 8-bit
> strings and Unicode.  I really don't know what the equivalent of these
> (ispunct, iscntrl, isgraph, isprint) is in Unicode -- maybe MAL or MvL
> know?  Unicode also has a wider definition of digits; do we want to
> extend isxdigit() for that?  (Probably not, but I'm not sure.)

I'll spend some time with the big Unicode 3.0 book this evening
and chat with some Unicode techno-weenies.  When I've got
an answer will add the unicodeobject.c methods to the patch.

> Someone commented that isxdigit is a poor name.  OTOH it's what C
> uses.  I'm not sure what to say.

I concur.  I had to look it up on google to make sure in meant
what I surmised it meant.  ishexdigit() is more explicit.
Besides, C naming conventions aren't exactly role models for clarity ;)

While we're at it:
 isgraph() --> isvisible()
 iscntrl() --> iscontrol()
 isprint() --> isprintable()

I'm sure everyone will have an opinion or two.


Raymond Hettinger