[Python-ideas] str.split with empty separator

[MRAB]

Alexandre Conrad wrote:
> Hello all,
> 
> What if str.split could take an empty separator?
> 
>>>> 'banana'.split('')
> ['b', 'a', 'n', 'a', 'n', 'a']
> 
> I know this can be done with:
> 
>>>> list('banana')
> ['b', 'a', 'n', 'a', 'n', 'a']
> 
> I think that, semantically speaking, it would make sens to split where
> there are no characters (in between them). Right now you can join from
> an empty string:
> 
> ''.join(['b', 'a', 'n', 'a', 'n', 'a'])
> 
> So why can't we split from an empty string?
> 
> This wouldn't introduce any backwards incompatible changes as
> str.split currently can't have an empty separator:
> 
>>>> 'banana'.split('')
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
> ValueError: empty separator
> 
> I would love to see my banana actually split. :)
> 
Shouldn't it be this:

 >>> 'banana'.split('')
['', 'b', 'a', 'n', 'a', 'n', 'a', '']

After all, the separator does exist at the start and end of the string:

 >>> 'banana'.startswith('')
True
 >>> 'banana'.endswith('')
True