python-peps/pep-0263.txt

128 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
Raw Normal View History

2001-07-18 16:27:09 -04:00
PEP: 0263
Title: Defining Python Source Code Encodings
Version: $Revision$
Author: mal@lemburg.com (Marc-Andr<64> Lemburg)
Status: Draft
Type: Standards Track
Python-Version: 2.3
Created: 06-Jun-2001
Post-History:
Abstract
This PEP proposes to introduce a syntax to declare the encoding of
a Python source file. The encoding information is then used by the
Python parser to interpret the file using the given encoding. Most
notably this enhances the interpretation of Unicode literals in
the source code and makes it possible to write Unicode literals
using e.g. UTF-8 directly in an Unicode aware editor.
Problem
In Python 2.1, Unicode literals can only be written using the
Latin-1 based encoding "unicode-escape". This makes the
programming environment rather unfriendly to Python users who live
and work in non-Latin-1 locales such as many of the Asian
countries. Programmers can write their 8-bit strings using the
favourite encoding, but are bound to the "unicode-escape" encoding
for Unicode literals.
Proposed Solution
I propose to make the Python source code encoding both visible and
changeable on a per-source file basis by using a special comment
at the top of the file to declare the encoding.
To make Python aware of this encoding declaration a number of
concept changes are necessary with repect to the handling of
Python source code data.
Concepts
The PEP is based on the following concepts which would have to be
implemented to enable usage of such a magic comment:
1. The complete Python source file should use a single encoding.
Embedding of differently encoded data is not allowed and will
result in a decoding error during compilation of the Python
source code.
2. Handling of escape sequences should continue to work as it does
now, but with all possible source code encodings, that is
standard string literals (both 8-bit and Unicode) are subject to
escape sequence expansion while raw string literals only expand
a very small subset of escape sequences.
3. Python's tokenizer/compiler combo will need to be updated to
work as follows:
1. read the file
2. decode it into Unicode assuming a fixed per-file encoding
3. tokenize the Unicode content
4. compile it, creating Unicode objects from the given Unicode data
and creating string objects from the Unicode literal data
by first reencoding the Unicode data into 8-bit string data
using the given file encoding
5. variable names and other identifiers will be reencoded into
8-bit strings using the file encoding to assure backward
compatibility with the existing implementation
ISSUE:
Should we restrict identifiers to ASCII ?
To make this backwards compatible, the implementation would have to
assume Latin-1 as the original file encoding if not given (otherwise,
binary data currently stored in 8-bit strings wouldn't make the
roundtrip).
Comment Syntax
The magic comment will use the following syntax. It will have to
appear as first or second line in the Python source file.
ISSUE:
Possible choices for the format:
1. Emacs style:
#!/usr/bin/python
# -*- coding: utf-8; -*-
2. Via a pseudo-option to the interpreter (one which is not used
by the interpreter):
#!/usr/bin/python --encoding=utf-8
3. Using a special comment format:
#!/usr/bin/python
#!encoding = 'utf-8'
4. XML-style format:
#!/usr/bin/python
#?python encoding = 'utf-8'
Scope
This PEP only affects Python source code which makes use of the
proposed magic comment. Without the magic comment in the proposed
position, Python will treat the source file as it does currently
to maintain backwards compatibility.
Copyright
This document has been placed in the public domain.
Local Variables:
mode: indented-text
indent-tabs-mode: nil
End: