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

[M.-A. Lemburg]

"M.-A. Lemburg" wrote:
> 
> 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...

Anybody else have an opinion on this idea ? I'd like to get
this done before the release of 2.0b1.

-- 
Marc-Andre Lemburg
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