How can you copy (clone) a string?

Peter.Rupp at ual.com Peter.Rupp at ual.com
Tue Oct 3 10:08:46 EDT 2000


All,
I have a bonafide need to create copies of strings in a python program 
(as opposed to a reference to the original).  I tried using the 'copy' 
module using both it's 'copy' and 'deepcopy' methods to no avail.  I'm 
using the "id" function to determine whether I have a new string or a 
reference to an existing string.

Let me illustrate......

from copy import *
a='a'
id(a)
1073972424
b=deepcopy(a)
id(b)
1073972424

Huh?   This is supposed to give me a new string refererence...as noted 
in the book 'Python Essential Reference' by David M. Beazley (pp. 95 in 
the last paragraph under the heading "NOTES", where he describes the 
feature as "This module can be used with simple types such as integers 
and strings, but there's little need to do so."

Well, I really do have a need here ;-)  

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated...please respond via email 
as I cannot get news here.  Thanks in advance.

==pete==
P. A. Rupp  - United Airlines Corp.
peter.rupp at ual.com
847-700-3226





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