[Python-Dev] str with base

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Alex Martelli wrote:
> Is it finally time in Python 2.5 to allow the "obvious" use of, say,  
> str(5,2) to give '101', just the converse of the way int('101',1)  
> gives 5?  I'm not sure why str has never allowed this obvious use --  
> any bright beginner assumes it's there and it's awkward to explain  
> why it's not!-).  I'll be happy to propose a patch if the BDFL  
> blesses this, but I don't even think it's worth a PEP... it's an  
> inexplicable though long-standing omission (given the argumentative  
> nature of this crowd I know I'll get pushback, but I still hope the  
> BDFL can Pronounce about it anyway;-).

Hmm, how about this:

str(obj, ifisunicode_decode_using_encoding='ascii',
         ifisinteger_use_base=10,
         ifisfile_open_and_read_it=False,
         isdecimal_use_precision=10,
         ismoney_use_currency='EUR',
         isdatetime_use_format='%c')

and so on ?!

Or even better:

str(obj, **kws) and then call obj.__str__(**kws) instead of
just obj.__str__() ?!


Seriously, shouldn't these more specific "convert to a string"
functions be left to specific object methods or helper
functions ?

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
eGenix.com

Professional Python Services directly from the Source  (#1, Jan 17 2006)
>>> Python/Zope Consulting and Support ...        http://www.egenix.com/
>>> mxODBC.Zope.Database.Adapter ...             http://zope.egenix.com/
>>> mxODBC, mxDateTime, mxTextTools ...        http://python.egenix.com/
________________________________________________________________________

::: Try mxODBC.Zope.DA for Windows,Linux,Solaris,FreeBSD for free ! ::::