[Python-Dev] Python in Unicode context

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Martin v. Löwis wrote:
> François Pinard wrote:
> 
>> One thing is that a Python module should have some way to know the
>> encoding used in its source file, maybe some kind of `module.__coding__'
>> next to `module.__file__', saving the coding effectively used while
>> compilation was going on. 
> 
> That would be possible to implement. Feel free to create a patch.

+1

>> I wonder if some other cookie, next to the `coding:'
>> cookie, could not be used to declare that all strings _in this module
>> only_ should be interpreted as Unicode by default, but without the need
>> of resorting to `u' prefix all over.
> 
> 
> This could be a starting point of another syntax debate. For example,
> 
> from __future__ import string_literals_are_unicode
> 
> would be possible to implement. If PEP 244 would have been adapted, I
> would have proposed
> 
> directive unicode_strings
> 
> Other syntax forms would also be possible. Again, if you know a syntax
> which you like, propose a patch. Be prepared to also write a PEP 
> defending that syntax.

+1

Things that have been proposed earlier on, extended a bit:

b'xxx' - return a buffer to hold binary data; same
          as buffer(s'abc')

s'abc' - (forced) 8-bit string literal in source code encoding

u'abc' - (forced) Unicode literal

'abc'  - maps to s'abc' per default, can map to u'abc' based
          on the command line switch -U or a module switch

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
eGenix.com

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