Registry / data / win-unicode-console

win-unicode-console

library0.5pypypi✓ verified 86d ago

win-unicode-console is a Python library (current version 0.5) designed to enable proper Unicode input and output within the Windows console for Python versions up to 3.5. It addresses historical encoding issues when running Python scripts directly in the Windows console, allowing for correct display and handling of non-ASCII characters. The library is considered to be in maintenance mode, as Python 3.6 and newer versions have resolved the underlying console encoding issues via PEP 528.

data

pip install win-unicode-console

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · WIN-UNICODE-CONSOL

win-unicode-console

datapythonv0.5

Install

2.4s avg

Import

66ms

Disk

17MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v0.5 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.000s · 19.3MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.920 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 2.4s · import 0.066s · 20MB

17MB installed

● package 17MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

enable

✓ import win_unicode_console win_unicode_console.enable()

Call `enable()` at the very beginning of your script, or via the `python -m run` runner.

This quickstart demonstrates how to enable Unicode support and then print and (for Python 3) read Unicode text in the Windows console. It's crucial to call `win_unicode_console.enable()` early in your script. Ensure your console font (e.g., Lucida Console) supports the characters you wish to display.

import win_unicode_console # Enable Unicode console support (should be called early) win_unicode_console.enable() # Now, print Unicode characters print('こんにちは世界 (Hello world in Japanese)') print('Français: bonjour, ça va? (French)') # Try reading Unicode input (on Python 2, this might still need custom readline hook or specific configurations) # For simple testing, focus on output initially. # For Python 3, input() typically handles Unicode after enable(). # Example for Python 3: try: user_input = input('Enter some Unicode text: ') print(f'You entered: {user_input}') except Exception as e: print(f'Input error: {e}')

Debug

Known issues

breakingThis package is not necessary for Python 3.6 and newer versions because PEP 528 introduced native UTF-8 support for the Windows console, resolving the underlying issues that `win-unicode-console` addresses. Using it with Python 3.6+ is generally harmless but redundant.

fix

Remove `win-unicode-console` from your dependencies for projects targeting Python 3.6 or later.

affects: Python 3.6+

gotchaEven with `win-unicode-console`, the Windows console must be configured to use a font that supports Unicode characters (e.g., 'Lucida Console' or 'Consolas') to display them correctly. Without a suitable font, characters may still appear as squares or question marks.

fix

Right-click the console window title bar, select 'Properties' or 'Defaults', navigate to the 'Font' tab, and choose a Unicode-capable font like 'Lucida Console' or 'Consolas'.

affects: <3.6

breakingVersion 0.4 changed the signature of `streams.enable` and removed `streams.enable_reader`, `streams.enable_writer`, and `streams.enable_error_writer`. Code using these older stream-specific functions will break.

fix

Migrate to the new `streams.enable` or `streams.enable_only` interface, passing stream objects as keyword arguments (e.g., `streams.enable_only(stdin=streams.stdin_text_transcoding)`). For generic use, `win_unicode_console.enable()` should suffice.

affects: <0.4

gotchaManually setting the console code page to `chcp 65001` (UTF-8) is often problematic on Windows. It can cause issues with `sys.stdin`, result in `IOError`s, or not fully resolve Unicode display due to limitations of the standard console APIs. `win-unicode-console` is designed to work around these limitations without requiring `chcp 65001`.

fix

Rely on `win_unicode_console.enable()` rather than `chcp 65001` for Unicode support in Python scripts. If you encounter issues, consider using `PYTHONIOENCODING=utf-8` as an environment variable, but be aware of its own potential caveats.

affects: <3.6

Errors

Common errors & fixes

UnicodeEncodeError: 'charmap' codec can't encode character '\uXXXX' in position Y: character maps to <undefined>

The default Windows console encoding (e.g., CP437 or CP1252) cannot represent the Unicode character you are trying to print. This is a common issue for Python versions prior to 3.6 on Windows.

fix

Install and call `win_unicode_console.enable()` at the beginning of your script. Additionally, ensure your console font supports the required Unicode characters.

Unicode characters display as '?' or squares in the Windows console output.

This typically indicates either that `win-unicode-console` is not active, or the selected console font does not support the specific Unicode characters being displayed.

fix

Make sure `win_unicode_console.enable()` is called. Then, change your console font to 'Lucida Console' or 'Consolas' through the console window's properties to ensure full Unicode glyph support.

Scripts launched with `python -m run script.py` (win-unicode-console runner) fail or behave unexpectedly with custom readline hooks or Python 2 `raw_input`.

Prior to version 0.4, `win-unicode-console` used a custom REPL. Changes in 0.4 and later versions refined how the runner works and deprecated certain direct manipulations of `raw_input`. Python 2's `raw_input` returns bytes, which needs careful handling when Unicode is expected.

fix

Review the `win-unicode-console` README for specific `runner` usage (e.g., `py -i -m run` for interactive mode). For Python 2, if `raw_input` issues persist with Unicode, you might need `win_unicode_console.enable(raw_input__return_unicode=False)` if your IPython version is older than 4.

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Version history

0.5latest on PyPI · released Jun 25, 2016

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Dependencies

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Agent activity

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/Drekin/win-unicode-console ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/win-unicode-console/ ↗