split(None)

[Oliver Fromme]

The library reference says the following about the "split"
string method:

 |  If sep is not specified or None, any whitespace string
 |  is a separator.

So I thought that foo.split() and foo.split(None) should
return the same result.  However:

   >>> "foo bar baz".split()
   ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']

   >>> "foo bar baz".split(None)
   ['foo bar baz']

The problem is, I have to specify None because I also need
to specify the optional second argument "maxsplit" (and in
my case, I cannot simply use a single space character,
because words can be separated by arbitrary whitespace).

So, next thing I tried was to specify maxsplit as a named
argument.  Surprise ...  didn't work as expected, either:

   >>> "foo bar baz".split(maxsplit = 1)
   ['foo', 'bar', 'baz']

Looks like I'll have to use re.split(), unless I'm missing
something (I guess I am).

Is there a bug in string.split(), or in the documentation,
or in my brain?

Regards
   Oliver (still python newbie and eager to learn)

PS:  This is Python 2.1.1, if it matters.

PPS:  string.split.__doc__ says:  "If maxsplit is given,
splits into at most maxsplit words".  This is clearly
wrong:  It splits into at most maxsplits + 1 words.

-- 
Oliver Fromme, secnetix GmbH & Co KG, Oettingenstr. 2, 80538 München
Any opinions expressed in this message may be personal to the author
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"All that we see or seem is just a dream within a dream" (E. A. Poe)