[unicode] inconvenient unicode conversion of non-string arguments

Hi there,

I consider the behaviour of unicode() inconvenient wrt to conversion of
non-string
arguments.
While you can do:
u'17.3'

you cannot do:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
TypeError: coercing to Unicode: need string or buffer, float foundThis is somehow annoying when you want to convert a mixed-type argument
list
to unicode strings, e.g. for a logging system (that's where it bit me) and
want to make sure that possible raw string arguments are also convertedto
unicode without errors (although by force).
Especially as this is a performance-critical part in my application so I
really
do not like to wrap unicode() into some custom tounicode() function that
handles
such cases by distinction of argument types.

Any reason why unicode() with a non-string argument should not allow the
encoding and errors arguments?
Or some good solution to work around my problem?

(Currently running on python 2.4.3)

Regards,
Holger

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re: [unicode] inconvenient unicode conversion of non-string arguments

Holger Joukl wrote:There is reason: encoding is a property of bytes, it is not applicable
to other objects.
Do not put undecoded bytes in a mixed-type argument list. A rule of
thumb working with unicode: decode as soon as possible, encode as late
as possible.

-- Leo

re: [unicode] inconvenient unicode conversion of non-string arguments

Holger Joukl wrote:
</F>

re: [unicode] inconvenient unicode conversion of non-string arguments

Holger Joukl wrote:That's rather bizzare and sloppy approach. Should

unicode(17.3, 'just-having-fun', 'I-do-not-like-errors')
unicode(17.3, 'sdlfkj', 'ewrlkj', 'eoirj', 'sdflkj')

work?

I don't really see from your example what stops you from putting
unicode instead of bytes into your tree, but I can believe some
libraries can cause some extra work. That's the problem with libraries,
not with builtin function unicode(). Would you be happy if floating
point value 17.3 would be stored as 8 bytes in your tree? After all,
that is how 17.3 is actually represented in computer memory. Same story
with unicode, if some library gives you raw bytes *you* have to do
extra work later.

-- Leo

re: [unicode] inconvenient unicode conversion of non-string arguments

In <mailman.1508.1166002784.32031.python-list@python.org>, Holger Joukl
wrote:
Maybe you should rethink if it really makes sense to add this huge block
of "nonsense" to a post to a newsgroup or public mailing list. If it's
confidential, just keep it secret. ;-)

Ciao,
Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch

re: [unicode] inconvenient unicode conversion of non-string arguments

"Marc 'BlackJack' Rintsch" <bj_666@gmx.netwrites:
In all likelihood, the OP isn't choosing specifically to attach it;
these things are often done to *every* outgoing message at an
organisational level by people who don't think the issue through very
well.

<URL:http://goldmark.org/jeff/stupid-disclaimers/>

Please, those with such badly-configured systems, discuss the issue of
public discussion forums with the boneheads who think these disclaimer
texts are a good idea and at least try to change that behaviour.

Alternatively, post from some other mail system that doesn't slap
these obnoxious blocks onto your messages.

--
\ "I wish there was a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence. |
`\ There's a knob called 'brightness' but it doesn't work." -- |
_o__) Eugene P. Gallagher |
Ben Finney