Tim, Good point. b32decode seems to be capable to understand such common mistakes (see map01 argument to b32decode), I haven't tried:
http://docs.python.org/2/library/base64.html Thanks. Andriy ---------------------------------------- > Date: Sat, 3 Nov 2012 10:34:26 -0500 > From: python.l...@tim.thechases.com > To: r...@panix.com > Subject: Re: How to generate account number? > CC: python-list@python.org > > On 11/03/12 08:22, Roy Smith wrote: > > Even better might be base-32 encoding the value. Strings of > > digits have an information density of about 3.2 bits/char. > > Base-32 is just about as readable, but gives you 5 bits/char, so > > you end up with a few less characters (which you still want to > > chunk into 3 or 4 character groups). > > For things that will be read off a screen/paper, I recommend > omitting several letters that are easy to mistake visually: i/I/l/1 > and O/0 in particular. The VIN (vehicle identification number) on > all US cars avoids these characters[*], making it easier to read > them back without concern for "is that a zero or an oh; and is that > an ell, a one, a lowercase eye, or a capital eye?" As an encoding > advantage, > > >>> print len(''.join(c for c in (string.ascii_uppercase + > string.digits) if c not in "O0iIl1")) > 32 > > the number 32 is pretty handy when dealing with binary :-) > > -tkc > > > [*] > The VIN avoids "Q" too and does use the digits 0/1, but the idea > holds. Make it easy to ready back. > -- > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
