[Python-ideas] Deprecating rarely used str methods

[M.-A. Lemburg]

On 08.08.2013 20:32, Serhiy Storchaka wrote:
> The str class have some very rarely used methods. When was the last time you used swapcase() (not
> counting the time of apprenticeship)? These methods take place in a source code, documentation and a
> memory of developers. Due to the large number of methods, some of the really necessary methods can
> be neglected. I propose to deprecate rarely used methods (especially that for most of them there is
> another, more obvious way) and remove them in 4.0.
> 
> s.ljust(width) == '{:<{}}'.format(s, width) == '%-*s' % (width, s)
> s.ljust(width, fillchar) == '{:{}<{}}'.format(s, fillchar, width)
> s.rjust(width) == '{:>{}}'.format(s, width) == '%*s' % (width, s)
> s.rjust(width, fillchar) == '{:{}>{}}'.format(s, fillchar, width)
> s.center(width) == '{:^{}}'.format(s, width)
> s.center(width, fillchar) == '{:{}^{}}'.format(s, fillchar, width)
>
> str(n).zfill(width) == '{:0={}}'.format(n, width) == '%0*.f' % (width,n)

I don't think any of the .format() alternatives you listed is
anywhere near as obvious as the methods :-)

> str.swapcase() is just not needed.

If you have you ever typed on a keyboard with shift lock enabled,
you'd know what it's needed for ;-)

Seriously, that one could get deprecated, provided that a helper
function with the same functionality is provided elsewhere.

> str.expandtabs([tabsize]) is rarely used and can be moved to the textwrap module.

TABs still exist in lots of files, so I'd rather not get rid
of this method.

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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