[Python-Dev] "funny".split("")

[Christian Tismer]

Gerald S. Williams wrote:

> Christian Tismer wrote:
> 
>>I'm just translating the Python Pocked Reference the
>>second time, and I stumbled over this:
>>   "funny".split("")
>>gives a ValueError: empty separator.
>>Why this?
>>
> 
> I don't know, but I have a patch for stringobject.c and
> stropmodule.c that gives the behavior you asked for (I
> haven't done unicodeobject.c yet). Should I post it?


Thanks a lot!
But I think this is not a problem of implementation
but design. Since "hello".split("") would be the only
ambiguous case (you can find non-countable infinite
outputs which would yield the same join), they seem
to have decided to forbid it.
I (bummer head) would have choosen the obvious,
but having to replace the expression by list("hello")
is just fine with me, and for sure a bit cleaner.

ciao - chris

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