(MAX 2020) Is there any chance to cast MAX String to python str?

[denisT.MaxDoctor]

for example, this one doesn't work in 2020:

bi = python.import "__builtin__"
mystrlist = bi.str.split "an example string"

TypeError: descriptor 'split' requires a 'str' object but received a 'unicode'
-- Runtime error: TypeError: descriptor 'split' requires a 'str' object but received a 'unicode'

This of course works in MAX 2023, but I need to get working something like this in MAX 2020:

bi = python.import "builtins"
qc = python.import "PySide2.QtCore"

b = bi.str.encode "1234" "utf-8"
qc.QByteArray.fromBase64 b

Any ideas? 

[Swordslayer · Accepted solution]

mystrlist = bi.unicode.split "an example string" as array

alternatively

str = python.import "string"
mystrlist = str.split "an example string" as array

[denisT.MaxDoctor]

Thank you. 

But I asked wrong.
Actually I need to turn MAX String into python str as many python and Qt methods require str.
For example QByteArray...

py = python.import "builtins"
qc = python.import "PySide2.QtCore"

bs = py.str.encode "1234" "utf-8"
ba = qc.QByteArray b
bb = qc.QByteArray.fromBase64 b

[Swordslayer]

Since it accepts bytearray, you can use that:

str = "an example string"
bs = py.bytearray (for i = 1 to str.count collect py.ord str[i])
ba = qc.QByteArray bs

[denisT.MaxDoctor]

here is another example that works fine in 2023 and doesn't work in 20202:

qcore = python.import "PySide2.QtCore"
ico = getdir #maxroot + @"\icons\icon_main.ico"
f = qcore.QFile ico
f.open qcore.QIODevice.ReadOnly
data = f.readAll()
f.close()

and as I can guess there is the same problem... the way how these versions convert MAX String to python str (bytes, bytearray).

see:

2020:

py = python.import "__builtin__"

py.bytes "test" "utf-8"
TypeError: str() takes at most 1 argument (2 given)
-- Runtime error: TypeError: str() takes at most 1 argument (2 given)

-- MAXScript callstack:
--	thread data: threadID:28720
--	------------------------------------------------------
--	[stack level: 0]
--	In top-level

py.bytes "test"
-- "test"

py.bytearray "test"
TypeError: unicode argument without an encoding
-- Runtime error: TypeError: unicode argument without an encoding

-- MAXScript callstack:
--	thread data: threadID:28720
--	------------------------------------------------------
--	[stack level: 0]
--	In top-level
py.bytearray "test" "utf-8"
-- test

2023:

py = python.import "builtins"

py.bytes "test" "utf-8"
py.bytearray "test" "utf-8"

-- b'test'
-- bytearray(b'test')

[denisT.MaxDoctor]

Oh!!!

technically the bytearray conversion works, but doesn't want to show in the Listener. Internal conversion seems to work:

ico = getdir #maxroot + @"\icons\icon_main.ico"

(
	f = qcore.QFile ico
	f.open qcore.QIODevice.ReadOnly
	data = f.readAll()
	f.close()
	dialog.setWindowIcon (qui.QIcon (qui.QPixmap (qui.QImage.fromData data)))
)

[Swordslayer]

Max-side behavior haven't changed between versions, that's a difference between python 2 where str was same as bytes and python 3 (2021+ default) where str is unicode and so most everything accepts unicode.

That's why I constructed bytearray that way.

[denisT.MaxDoctor]

I assumed something like this, but the main thing that confused me is this:

ico = getdir #maxroot + @"\icons\icon_main.ico"
f = qcore.QFile ico
f.open qcore.QIODevice.ReadOnly
data = f.readAll()
-- <Error getting string representation>

...when I called the code line by line in the listener. All others were attempts to solve the "problem". 😉

[denisT.MaxDoctor]

---

@Swordslayer wrote:

Max-side behavior haven't changed between versions, that's a difference between python 2 where str was same as bytes and python 3 (2021+ default) where str is unicode and so most everything accepts unicode.

---

Auto-converting of MXS strings is not a good idea. I'd rather have both str and unicode, which makes more sense to me.

[denisT.MaxDoctor]

---

@Swordslayer wrote:

alternatively

str = python.import "string"
mystrlist = str.split "an example string" as array

---

I have looked again at this message, and I see that I missed a nice solution ... thanks and sorry for the remissness 
👍