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classification
Title: "…" (HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS) should be an alternative syntax for "..." (FULL STOP FULL STOP FULL STOP)
Type: enhancement Stage:
Components: Interpreter Core, Unicode Versions: Python 3.2
process
Status: closed Resolution: rejected
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: Nosy List: benjamin.peterson, brandon-rhodes, georg.brandl, xmorel
Priority: normal Keywords:

Created on 2011-05-11 12:29 by xmorel, last changed 2022-04-11 14:57 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Messages (4)
msg135771 - (view) Author: Xavier Morel (xmorel) * Date: 2011-05-11 12:29
In Python 3, "..." became useable as a normal expression, and translates into an ellipsis instance.

Unicode defines an ellipsis character "…" (U+2026 HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS) which is canonically equivalent to a 3-sequence of FULL STOP [U+002E U+002E U+002E]

I think it would be nice if Python supported "…" as an alternative to "..."
msg135778 - (view) Author: Brandon Rhodes (brandon-rhodes) * Date: 2011-05-11 13:44
But if we allow for ellipsis, then would we not also have to start allowing characters like ≥ and ≤ in Python? And the problem with any of these (admittedly very attractive) substitutions is that they seem to abandon the principle of there being One Obvious Way of typing any given expression. Instead there would now be several alternate ways, with different styles in different codebases and, I think, something of a visual and symbolic mess resulting. I like each symbol to have exactly one possible representation.
msg135779 - (view) Author: Benjamin Peterson (benjamin.peterson) * (Python committer) Date: 2011-05-11 13:46
Making such substitutions is a good way to introduce subtle bugs.
msg393924 - (view) Author: Xavier Morel (xmorel) * Date: 2021-05-19 06:06
> But if we allow for ellipsis, then would we not also have to start allowing characters like ≥ and ≤ in Python?

No, they're not defined as canonically equivalent to >= and <= by the Unicode specification:

    >>> unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', '…')
    ...
    >>> unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', '≤')
    ≤
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:57:17adminsetgithub: 56265
2021-05-19 06:06:18xmorelsetmessages: + msg393924
2011-05-11 13:46:13benjamin.petersonsetstatus: open -> closed

nosy: + benjamin.peterson
messages: + msg135779

resolution: rejected
2011-05-11 13:44:46brandon-rhodessetnosy: + brandon-rhodes
messages: + msg135778
2011-05-11 12:52:43pitrousetnosy: + georg.brandl
2011-05-11 12:29:22xmorelcreate