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

[Nick Coghlan]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
> \>> I hate calling methods on string literals, I think it looks very odd
>>> to have code like this:
>>>
>>>   "Displaying {0} of {1} revisions".format(x, y)
>> Ugh!  Good point.
> 
> This objection was made years ago when we introduced
> "separator".join(list_of_things), and I don't think ignoring it has
> caused any casualties. In fact, it serves as an early reminder to the
> user that string literals are, in fact, objects like all others.

The other string literal method I personally use reasonably often is to
create lists of strings by using "a list of strings".split() instead of
['a', 'list', 'of', 'strings'] (while the character count isn't all that
different, I find the former is easier to both write and read without
all those quotes and commas). It's a trick I've seen plenty of other
people use as well.

So I would agree that method invocation on literals (particularly string
literals) is an already established language idiom.

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
---------------------------------------------------------------