how to add new print %b format to python?

[Rusty Shackleford]

I have a Summer in front of me without any school, and I'd like to add a
new format for python print strings that will show any number in a
binary representation. For example:
[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
>>> '%b' % 3[/color][/color][/color]
11[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
>>> '%b' % 5[/color][/color][/color]
101

You get the idea. I've written functions that return strings, so that
part is done, but where do I go to tinker with the python interpreter to
add this new format?

Please don't argue with me about whether this is an advisable goal in
itself -- I'm using it as a method to learn about the internals of the
python language.


--
My public key:
gpg --recv-keys --keyserver www.mandrakesecure.net 0x8D10BFD5

[P@draigBrady.com]

Re: how to add new print %b format to python?

Rusty Shackleford wrote:[color=blue]
> I have a Summer in front of me without any school, and I'd like to add a
> new format for python print strings that will show any number in a
> binary representation. For example:
>
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>>'%b' % 3[/color][/color]
>
> 11
>[color=green][color=darkred]
>>>>'%b' % 5[/color][/color]
>
> 101
>
> You get the idea. I've written functions that return strings, so that
> part is done, but where do I go to tinker with the python interpreter to
> add this new format?
>
> Please don't argue with me about whether this is an advisable goal in
> itself -- I'm using it as a method to learn about the internals of the
> python language.[/color]

I don't think this will be accepted as the
format args are really a lowest common denominator
across all systems. For e.g. on linux you can use
the ' modifier to print numbers in locale format
(and example for mine is 1,234).

Also %b is already used by userspace utils in linux, from the docs:

In addition to the standard printf(1)
formats, %b causes printf to expand backslash escape
sequences in the corresponding argument, and %q causes
printf to output the corresponding argument in a format
that can be reused as shell input.

Anyway it's easy to get a binary representation
and I can't remember the last time I needed one?
Something like this should work:

binary = lambda n: n>0 and binary(n>>1)+[str(n&1)] or []
''.join(map(bin ary(4096))

Pádraig.

[John Roth]

Re: how to add new print %b format to python?


<P@draigBrady.c om> wrote in message news:408D4480.8 090104@draigBra dy.com...[color=blue]
> Rusty Shackleford wrote:[color=green]
> > I have a Summer in front of me without any school, and I'd like to add a
> > new format for python print strings that will show any number in a
> > binary representation. For example:
> >
> >[color=darkred]
> >>>>'%b' % 3[/color]
> >
> > 11
> >[color=darkred]
> >>>>'%b' % 5[/color]
> >
> > 101
> >
> > You get the idea. I've written functions that return strings, so that
> > part is done, but where do I go to tinker with the python interpreter to
> > add this new format?
> >
> > Please don't argue with me about whether this is an advisable goal in
> > itself -- I'm using it as a method to learn about the internals of the
> > python language.[/color]
>
> I don't think this will be accepted as the
> format args are really a lowest common denominator
> across all systems. For e.g. on linux you can use
> the ' modifier to print numbers in locale format
> (and example for mine is 1,234).[/color]

I don't believe this is the case. I think the % operator
does not use the C library's sprintf function., but I could
be wrong.

[snip]

The rest of this is equally off base - he explicitly said he
was not interested in ***whether*** he should do it, but
only in *** where to look *** to find out how to do it
as a summer programming exercise in the python core.

John Roth[color=blue]
>
> Pádraig.[/color]

[John Roth]

Re: how to add new print %b format to python?

"Rusty Shackleford" <rs@overlook.ho melinux.net> wrote in message
news:slrnc8q9qp .htc.rs@frank.o verlook.homelin ux.net...[color=blue]
> I have a Summer in front of me without any school, and I'd like to add a
> new format for python print strings that will show any number in a
> binary representation. For example:
>[color=green][color=darkred]
> >>> '%b' % 3[/color][/color]
> 11[color=green][color=darkred]
> >>> '%b' % 5[/color][/color]
> 101
>
> You get the idea. I've written functions that return strings, so that
> part is done, but where do I go to tinker with the python interpreter to
> add this new format?
>
> Please don't argue with me about whether this is an advisable goal in
> itself -- I'm using it as a method to learn about the internals of the
> python language.[/color]

Well, if I was familiar with the internals, I'd start with the code
that implements the string object, since it's simply an overload of
the '%' operator. Sorry I can't help you with a module name, though.

To actually get it added to the core, you need to write a PEP and
champion it through the process. Writing a reference implementation
and the documentation is also a necessity. There's a PEP that
explains the documentation standards for Python C language code;
if your patch follows that you've improved your chances by some
significant amount.

John Roth

[Brian Kelley]

Re: how to add new print %b format to python?

John Roth wrote:
[color=blue]
> "Rusty Shackleford" <rs@overlook.ho melinux.net> wrote in message
> news:slrnc8q9qp .htc.rs@frank.o verlook.homelin ux.net...
>[color=green]
>>I have a Summer in front of me without any school, and I'd like to add a
>>new format for python print strings that will show any number in a
>>binary representation. For example:
>>
>>[color=darkred]
>>>>>'%b' % 3[/color]
>>
>>11
>>[color=darkred]
>>>>>'%b' % 5[/color]
>>
>>101[/color][/color]

For some implementation PEP discussion ideas, I like this format, but
there are additional complexities such as what is

'%b' % -1 ?

This might just be a binary string equivalent to the current machine
bits. But what about long integers?

'%b' % (-1L)

This is technically an infinite string of ones.

Perhaps a useful solution is when printing out negative numbers, the
user must supply the padding.

so[color=blue][color=green]
>> '%b' % (-1)[/color][/color]

raise a ValueError or some such and

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
ValueError: Binary format %b for negative numbers must have bit length
specified

and
[color=blue][color=green]
>> '%32b' % (-1L)[/color][/color]
111111111111111 111111111111111 11

Now for the source, you want to look at stringobject.c and in particular
the PyString_Format function. You can find the cvs version here:

http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/python/python/dist/src/Objects/stringobject.c?view=markup

Note that you can make a test case by subclass string and the __mod__
function. This might actually be harder though since you will have to
figure out which argument is supposed to belong to the %b formatter.

from types import StringType

class mystring(String Type):
def __mod__(self, *k, **kw):
return StringType.__mo d__(self, *k, **kw)

Good Luck