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

[Nick Coghlan]

Barry Warsaw wrote:
> On Oct 4, 2009, at 4:11 AM, Nick Coghlan wrote:
> 
>> Barry Warsaw wrote:
>>> I also don't think this is a case of anti-TOOWTDI.  For most situations
>>> {}-strings are great (IMO), but in the specific translation domain, I
>>> suspect $-strings are still better.
>>
>> I agree that keeping string.Template around is valid due to its focus on
>> being very simple to use (especially for non-coders producing
>> translation templates)
>>
>> However, string.Template is already set up to work for the relevant APIs
>> in that domain so I don't think it will really be affected by any
>> changes to the underlying language and library support for brace
>> formatting.
> 
> What if you wanted to translate log messages?  Printing to a StringIO
> first really isn't a very good solution.

Oh, I see what you meant now - you were pointing out that lazy
formatting APIs (such as logging) already don't work properly for
alternative formatting mechanisms (such as string.Template).

(Although printing to a String IO doesn't seem necessary - simply
pre-formatting the message seems like it should work, just as
preformatting brace formatted messages already works today).

The idea of adding an optional "fmt_style" callable to these APIs
(defaulting to None, which would imply the use of the mod operator) is
becoming more appealing...

Cheers,
Nick.

-- 
Nick Coghlan   |   ncoghlan at gmail.com   |   Brisbane, Australia
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