[Python-ideas] Query available codecs and error handlers

[Steven D'Aprano]

Unless I am badly misinformed, there is no way to programmatically check 
what codecs and error handlers are available. I propose two functions in 
the codecs module:

get_codecs()
get_error_handlers()

which each return a set of the available codec, or error handler, names.


Use-cases
---------

(1) At the interactive interpreter, it is often useful to experiment 
with different codecs. Being able to get a list of available codecs 
avoids the frustration of having to look them up elsewhere, or guess.

(2) Applications which offer to read or write text files may wish to 
allow the user to select an encoding. With no obvious way of finding out 
what encodings are available, the application is limited to hard-coding 
some, and hoping that they don't get renamed or removed.


Why sets, rather than lists?
----------------------------

Sets emphasis that the names are in no particular order. Since the names 
should always be strings and therefore hashable, and the order is 
irrelevant, there is no particular need for a list.


Should they be frozensets rather than sets?
-------------------------------------------

I don't care :-)

Using sets may make it easier for the application to filter the results 
in some way, but I really don't think it matters.


Thoughts or comments?



-- 
Steven