[Python-Dev] transitioning from % to {} formatting

[Brett Cannon]

On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 15:19, Steven Bethard <steven.bethard at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, Oct 1, 2009 at 11:03 AM, Brett Cannon <brett at python.org> wrote:
>> So I created this last night:
>>
>> import collections
>>
>> class braces_fmt(str):
>>
>>    def __mod__(self, stuff):
>>        if isinstance(stuff, tuple):
>>            return self.__class__(self.format(*stuff))
>>        elif isinstance(stuff, collections.Mapping):
>>            return self.__class__(self.format(**stuff))
>>        else:
>>            return self.__class__(self.format(stuff))
>>
>> The biggest issue is that ``"%s" % {'a': 42}`` substitutes the dict
>> instead of throwing an error that str.format() would do with the code
>> above. But what's nice about this is I think I can use this now w/ any
>> library that expects % interpolation and it should basically work.
>
> I see how this could allow a user to supply a {}-format string to an
> API that accepts only %-format strings. But I still don't see the
> transition strategy for the API itself. That is, how does the %-format
> API use this to eventually switch to {}-format strings? Could someone
> please lay it out for me, step by step, showing what happens in each
> version?

First off, a wrapper like this I think is a temporary solution for
libraries that do not have any transition strategy, not a replacement
for one that is thought out (e.g. using a flag when appropriate). With
that said, you could transition by:

1. Nothing changes as hopefully the wrapper works fine (as people are
pointing out, though, my approach needs to override __str__() to
return 'self', else the str type will just return what it has
internally in its buffer).

2. Raise a deprecation warning when ``isinstance(ob, brace_fmt)`` is
false. When a class is passed in that is a subclass of brace_fmt, call
ob.format() on it.

3. Require the subclass.

4. Remove the requirement and always call ob.format().

-Brett