[Python-Dev] other "magic strings" issues

[Brett C.]

Guido van Rossum wrote:

>>How about a strtools module?  I was thinking that constants like 
>>ascii_letters could go there along with an implementation of join() that 
>>took arguments in an obvious way (or at least the way everyone seems to 
>>request it).  Barry's string replacement function could also go there 
>>(the one using $; wasn't it agreed that interpolation was the wrong term 
>>to use or something?).
>>
>>This would prevent polluting the str type too much plus remove any 
>>hindrance that there necessarily be a mirror value for Unicode since the 
>>docs can explicitly state it only works for str in those cases.
> 
> 
> Do we have an indication that the str type is getting polluted too
> much?

As of right now?  Not really, but this might lead down that road 
(probably being overly cautious on this).  I do agree with Fred in that 
I would be just as happy to have them in a module.  Might be a bias I 
have developed about keeping *everything* in a class/type or instance (I 
blame Java  =).

I really don't mind if they get added to the type; moving them to 
another module just seemed like a cleaner solution to me.  I am basically:

+0 for making the constants a class variable (really more like +.5, but 
rounding screws that up)
-1 for leaving the string module (I agree with Francois' argument about 
the name, plus we have said it is going to be deprecated for so long I 
would like to see it through)
+1 for moving them to another module that can have generic 
string-helping functions

-Brett