[Python-Dev] 'abc'.encode() and str(obj, encoding)

[M.-A. Lemburg]

Fredrik Lundh wrote:
> 
> mal wrote:
> 
> > The idea is not new: strings and Unicode should have more
> > or less the same methods to enhance their compatibility.
> >
> > The attached patch adds encoding capabilities to normal
> > strings and extends the builtin str() to accept an optional
> > encoding (and error) argument. It also tries to reuse the
> > already available Unicode codecs for the purposes of strings
> > (conversions are done via the default encoding in both
> > directions).
> 
> ...
> 
> > What do you think about this ? Should I add it to CVS
> > as experiment ?
> 
> +1 on the "encode" part
> 
> -0 on the "str" part (intuitively, it's -1, but I don't have
> any good arguments against it right now... maybe later)

The str() extension complements unicode() which also works
as constructor for object given an encoding.

Ideally, unicode() should also look for __unicode__() on instances
just like str() looks for __str__().

Note that we could also have a .decode() method instead of
modifying str(), but this would break symmetry to Unicode,
since you can't decode Unicode into anything...

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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