Terry J. Reedy added the comment: This came up again on python-list today in thread "Replace weird error message?" by "the.gerenuk--- via Python-list". After reading the discussion, I decided that expecting someone to read and connect together two sentences half a page apart is expecting a bit too much.
''' '=' Forces the padding to be placed after the sign (if any) but before the digits. This is used for printing fields in the form ‘+000000120’. This alignment option is only valid for numeric types. ''' Add "It becomes the default when '0' precedes the field width." ''' Preceding the width field by a zero ('0') character enables sign-aware zero-padding for numeric types. This is equivalent to a fill character of '0' with an alignment type of '='. ''' This is not true when an explicit alignment other than '=' is given. >>> "{:09}".format(-1) '-00000001' >>> "{:>09}".format(-1) # 2.7.11 and 3.5.1 '0000000-1' Proposal: Replace with ''' When no explicit alignment is given, preceding the width field by a zero ('0') character enables sign-aware zero-padding for numeric types. This is equivalent to a fill character of '0' with an alignment type of '='. ''' I presume the problem with changing the error message is that it is not immediately known that alignment was set implicitly, by 0 before decimal width, rather than explicitly. If the spec string is still available, it could be searched and the message adjusted if '=' is not present. That proposal should be a new issue if someone wants to push it. ---------- resolution: fixed -> stage: resolved -> patch review status: closed -> open versions: +Python 3.5, Python 3.6 -Python 3.2, Python 3.3 _______________________________________ Python tracker <rep...@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15660> _______________________________________ _______________________________________________ Python-bugs-list mailing list Unsubscribe: https://mail.python.org/mailman/options/python-bugs-list/archive%40mail-archive.com