feature req: call_in_new_context doesn't trim label names

[Jake]

As seen in this thread, it seems renpy.call_in_new_context doesn't trim the name of the label that's passed in - meaning that if there's a trailing or leading space, the call fails.

Admittedly there shouldn't be a trailing or leading space, but since labels can't have trailing or leading spaces anyway, it doesn't seem to me that there's any value in not trimming the input, and it would help out in circumstances like that one.

[LordShiranai]

Just curious. Do other methods that take a label such as renpy.jump or ui.callsinnewcontext automatically strip trim? If so, I would agree that renpy.call_in_new_context should behave in a similar manner for consistency.

[PyTom]

No, we never strip labels - I don't think we should, since there's an admittedly slight performance cost.

[Jake]

I don't think we should, since there's an admittedly slight performance cost.

Leaving aside that it's a very minor cost at a point where it's very unlikely to make any significant difference, couldn't something like this feasibly even be done as a precompiler step, at least for string-literal parameters to those functions?

I realise it's a bit of a fringe case anyway, but it's things like this which do confuse people who aren't used to programming - the idea that "blah" is different from " blah" is quite an odd concept to a lot of people.

[PyTom]

I don't think it could be done as a precompiler step, as we don't have any real understanding of functions until just before they're run. (This is python, so there isn't a static analysis phase to speak of.)

It's also a sort of regularity thing. If " foo" matches "foo" when we go to call a label, then why wouldn't " Jake" match "Jake" in code like:

Code: Select all

$ name = " Jake"
if name == "Jake":
    ...

[Jake]

It's also a sort of regularity thing. If " foo" matches "foo" when we go to call a label, then why wouldn't " Jake" match "Jake" in code like:

Because when you're jumping to a label it's entirely possible to work out whether or not the spaces are valid (because they always aren't, and will never be intentional) and when you're doing arbitrary operations on strings it's not possible.

As the old saying goes - be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you do.

[iichan_lolbot]

Jake, you can just call

Code: Select all

renpy.call_in_new_context(x.strip(" ").rstrip(" "))

instead of

Code: Select all

renpy.call_in_new_context(x)

But it wouldn't save you from troubles like tabs or newline symbols. Also it is still case sensitive, etc. =)

[Jake]

Jake, you can just call

I know. And I wouldn't pass a label name with spaces in the first place, because I know what I'm doing.

I started the thread 'cause a guy who wasn't a programmer was trying to use a Cookbook script and had left a space in the string, and it occurred to me that there was no reason Ren'Py couldn't strip it, since spaces aren't valid parts of label names anyway... and therefore, it would be better and more useful for newbies to strip.