[Python-Dev] summary of transitioning from % to {} formatting

[Mark Dickinson]

On Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 4:41 PM, Steven Bethard <steven.bethard at gmail.com> wrote:
> I thought it might be useful for those who don't have time to read a
> million posts to have a summary of what's happened in the formatting
> discussion.

Definitely useful.  Thanks for the summary!

[...]

> * Add a parameter which declares the type of format string::
>    logging.Formatter(fmt="{asctime} - {name}", format=BRACES)
>  The API code would then switch between %-format and {}-format
>  based on the value of that parameter. If %-formatting is to be
>  deprecated, this could be done by first deprecating
>  format=PERCENTS and requiring format=BRACES, and then changing the
>  default to format=BRACES.

+1.

> * Create string subclasses which convert % use to .format calls::
>    __ = brace_fmt
>    logging.Formatter(fmt=__("{asctime} - {name}"))
>  The API code wouldn't have to change at all at first, as applying
>  % to brace_fmt objects would call .format() instead. If
>  %-formatting is to be deprecated, this could be done by first
>  deprecating plain strings and requiring brace_fmt strings, and
>  then allowing plain strings again but assuming they are {}-format
>  strings.

Uurgh.  This just feels... icky.  A badly-rationalized -1 from me.

> * Teach the API to accept callables as well as strings::
>    logging.Formatter(fmt="{asctime} - {name}".format)
>  The API code would just call the object with .format() style
>  arguments if a callable was given instead of a string. If
>  %-formatting is to be deprecated, this could be done by first
>  deprecating plain strings and requiring callables, and then
>  allowing plain strings again but assuming they are {}-format
>  strings

+0.5.  Seems like it could work, but the first solution feels
cleaner.

> * Create translators between %-format and {}-format::
>    assert to_braces("%(asctime)s") == "{asctime}"
>    assert to_percents("{asctime}") == "%(asctime)s"
>  these could then either be used outside of the API::
>    logging.Formatter(fmt=to_percents("{asctime} - {name}"))
>  or they could be used within the API combined with some sort of
>  heuristic for guessing whether a {}-format string or a %-format
>  string was passed in::
>    logging.Formatter(fmt="{asctime} - {name}")
>  If %-formatting is to be deprecated, the transition strategy here
>  is trivial. However, no one has yet written translators, and it is
>  not clear what heuristics should be used, e.g. should the method
>  just try %-formatting first and then {}-formatting if it fails?

I'm reserving judgement on this one until it becomes clear how
feasible it is.  Without having thought about it too hard, this sounds
potentially tricky and bug-prone.

Mark