[Python-Dev] #pragmas in Python source code

Sat, 15 Apr 2000 13:19:14 +0200

M.-A. Lemburg wrote:
> > To reinforce Fredrik's point here, note that XML only supports
> > encodings at the level of an entire file (or external entity). You
> > can't tell an XML parser that a file is in UTF-8, except for this =
one
> > element whose contents are in Latin1.
>=20
> Hmm, this would mean that someone who writes:
>=20
> """
> #pragma script-encoding utf-8
>=20
> u =3D u"\u1234"
> print u
> """
>=20
> would suddenly see "\u1234" as output.

not necessarily.  consider this XML snippet:

    <?xml version=3D'1.0' encoding=3D'utf-8'?>
    <body>&#x1234;</body>

if I run this through an XML parser and write it
out as UTF-8, I get:

<body>=E1^=B4</body>

in other words, the parser processes "&#x" after
decoding to unicode, not before.

I see no reason why Python cannot do the same.

</F>