[Python-Dev] Cannot declare the largest integer literal. (original) (raw)

Tim Peters tim_one@email.msn.com
Tue, 2 May 2000 22:20:20 -0400

[Trent Mick]

>>> i = -2147483648 OverflowError: integer literal too large >>> i = -2147483648L >>> int(i) # it is a valid integer literal -2147483648

Python's grammar is such that negative integer literals don't exist; what you actually have there is the unary minus operator applied to positive integer literals; indeed,

def f(): return -42

import dis dis.dis(f) 0 SET_LINENO 1

      3 SET_LINENO               2
      6 LOAD_CONST               1 (42)
      9 UNARY_NEGATIVE
     10 RETURN_VALUE
     11 LOAD_CONST               0 (None)
     14 RETURN_VALUE

Note that, at runtime, the example loads +42, then negates it: this wart has deep roots!

... And was the effect on functions like PyOSstrtol() down the pipe missed?

More that it was considered an inconsequential endcase. It's sure not worth changing the grammar for . I'd rather see Python erase the visible distinction between ints and longs.