PyFormat – Using % and .format() for great good

by avinassh • 11 years ago

21 8 11 years ago

Good, that somebody tries to document that stuff better!

I am also very unhappy with the current documentation of this.

The new Python format is great and you can do so many things with it, but it also just costs to much time to read the documentation and find some relevant examples.

majke2• 11 years ago

Call me an old timer, but I struggle to understand what's the point of the new format. Sure, it has more features. But is it worth the transition?

The old format is:

- pretty compatible with C

- therefore well documented, well understood by everyone

- therefore somewhat portable

- and most importantly - simple

- allows for fast implementations

For more complex stuff in python I use the dict() format, and print variables by name in dict, not by index. I find the new .format() more confusing. Or am I just not used to it?

Update: I didn't mean to be negative. The documentation is awesome, I just don't understand the broader point.

lfowles• 11 years ago

For more complex stuff in python I use the dict() format, and print variables by name in dict, not by index. I find the new .format() more confusing. Or am I just not used to it?

So, this is just a simpler way of doing that in the batteries included stdlib then.

    "{var} for some reason I'm going to repeat this {var}".format(var="foo")

vs what I assume you are using

    "%s for some reason I'm going to repeat this %s" % (vars[var], vars[var])

(Skimming through the linked page now....)

Reordering is also powerful. Most of my string formatting is done for awful awful uses of printf-debugging, so I could use something like your dictionary to do

    "{var} failed to {cond}".format(**vars)

and later I want to reformat it, I just change the string, but don't have to touch the format() arguments.

    "{cond} failed for {var}".format(**vars)

qt7• 11 years ago

So, this is just a simpler way of doing

Exactly. A simpler way of doing something which is already not that challenging, adding some functionality that is not so great.

It seems pretty unexciting overall and switching is not that compelling, since it requires more typing most of the times and the old formatting is not going anywhere any time soon.

sctb• 11 years ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9382055

barely_stubbell• 11 years ago

Additionally: https://mkaz.com/2012/10/10/python-string-format/

PyFormat – Using % and .format() for great good

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