Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 12:30 AM, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > Does it require a PEP just to add one more > format code? (Maybe it will, if the format code requires a complete > re-write of the entire module.) Yes, I think a PEP would be useful in this case. The proposed change

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

Nevertheless the C meaning *is* the etymology of the module name. :-) --Guido (mobile) On Jan 19, 2017 16:54, "Chris Angelico" wrote: > On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 11:38 AM, Steven D'Aprano > wrote: > > On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 05:16:28AM +1100, Chris

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 11:38 AM, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 05:16:28AM +1100, Chris Angelico wrote: > >> To be fair, the name "struct" implies a C-style structure, which >> _does_ have a fixed size, or at least fixed offsets for its members > > > Ah,

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 05:16:28AM +1100, Chris Angelico wrote: > To be fair, the name "struct" implies a C-style structure, which > _does_ have a fixed size, or at least fixed offsets for its members Ah, the old "everyone thinks in C terms" fallacy raises its ugly head agan :-) The name

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

On Thu, Jan 19, 2017 at 08:31:03AM +, Mark Dickinson wrote: > On Thu, Jan 19, 2017 at 1:27 AM, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > > [...] struct already supports > > variable-width formats. > > Unfortunately, that's not really true: the Pascal strings it supports > are in some

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

Construct has radical API changes and should remain apart. It feels to me like a straw-man to introduce a large library to the discussion as justification for it being too-specialized. This proposal to me seems much more modest: add another format character (or two) to the existing set of a dozen

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

I haven't had a chance to use it myself yet, but I've heard good things about https://construct.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ It's certainly far more comprehensive than struct for this and other problems. As usual, there's some tension between adding stuff to the stdlib versus using more

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

ctypes.Structure is *literally* the interface to the C struct that as Chris mentions has fixed offsets for all members. I don't think that should (can?) be altered. In file formats (beyond net protocols) the string size + variable length string motif comes up often and I am frequently

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

I am for upgrading struct to these, if possible. But besides my +1, I am writting in to remember folks thatthere is another "struct" model in the stdlib: ctypes.Structure - For reading a lot of records with the same structure it is much more handy than struct, since it gives one a suitable

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

On Fri, Jan 20, 2017 at 5:08 AM, Elizabeth Myers wrote: > I do understand it might require a possible major rewrite or major > changes the struct module, but in the long run, I think it's worth it > (especially because the struct module is not all that big in scope). As

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

On 19/01/17 05:58, Rhodri James wrote: > On 19/01/17 08:31, Mark Dickinson wrote: >> On Thu, Jan 19, 2017 at 1:27 AM, Steven D'Aprano >> wrote: >>> [...] struct already supports >>> variable-width formats. >> >> Unfortunately, that's not really true: the Pascal strings it

Re: [Python-ideas] Ideas for improving the struct module

On Thu, Jan 19, 2017 at 1:27 AM, Steven D'Aprano wrote: > [...] struct already supports > variable-width formats. Unfortunately, that's not really true: the Pascal strings it supports are in some sense variable length, but are stored in a fixed-width field. The internals of