Python L suffix - indicated long integer literals before Python3

My question is why do a MySQL row's integer values have an 'L' suffix? Here are the details: The following dictionary -- artificially formatted here for ease of display -- {'estimated': '', 'suffix': '', 'typeofread': 'g', 'acct_no': 901001000L, 'counter': 0, 'time_billed': datetime.datetime(2012, 5, 1, 9, 5, 33), 'date_read': datetime.datetime(2012, 3, 13, 23, 19, 45), 'reading': 3018L, 'meter_num': '26174200'} is comprised of a MySQL database table's columns zipped with the result of reading once from the table. I can remove the 'L' by passing these values into int(), so if that dictionary were in a variable named snapped_read, I could do this: int(snapped_read['reading']) and 3018L would change to 3018. I'm just curious as to why integers show up this way. python  mysql share improve this question edited Aug 1 '12 at 18:02 asked  Aug 1 '12 at 17:46 octopusgrabbus 5,204 6 27 80

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3 Answers

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up vote 20 down vote accepted

Because in versions of Python before Python 3, long integer literals were indicated with an l or L suffix. In Python 3, ints and longs have been merged into just int, which functions pretty much like long used to. Do note that, technically, Python( 2)'s int was equivalent to C's long, while Python's long was more like a BigNumber-type thing with unlimited precision (which is now the case for Python 3's int type.) http://docs.python.org/library/stdtypes.html#numeric-types-int-float-long-complex share improve this answer answered  Aug 1 '12 at 17:51 JAB 13.3k 35 55

3   Side note: MySQLdb convert ALL integer types to long type on Python 2.x –  Paulo Freitas  Aug 1 '12 at 18:09 1   Interesting to know. It looks like only BIGINT would require that, though, so I'm guessing it's for consistency in terms of the Python interface. dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.6/en/integer-types.html –  JAB  Aug 1 '12 at 18:10  Yeah, don't know why, but even TINYINT columns got converted to long type... Needs further investigation, but I also think it's due to the Python's database interface API. –  Paulo Freitas  Aug 1 '12 at 18:15  add a comment

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up vote 9 down vote

L is for the long data type. For example, age = 24 # int bankBalance = 20000005L # long share improve this answer edited Apr 14 '15 at 7:45 Quentin Pradet 2,735 13 32 answered  Aug 1 '12 at 17:50 Kalpesh 4,544 1 13 32

1   Just beat me! :) –  Rob Wagner  Aug 1 '12 at 17:51 3   You need a long to contain your bank balance? Shouldn't you be sipping lemonade by a pool somwhere? What are you doing answering questions on SO? (+1) -- although you might want to change your comments from // to #. –  mgilson  Aug 1 '12 at 17:53  Sorry @mgilson I am a PHP guy :) –  Kalpesh  Aug 1 '12 at 17:58 1   In Python you code just age = 24 and bankBalance = 20000005L, no type definitions neither semicolons to end statements. :) –  Paulo Freitas  Aug 1 '12 at 18:06 I wish I needed a long to keep my bank balance!! :D –  BorrajaX  Aug 14 '12 at 16:08 add a comment

up vote 4 down vote

Because they're not exactly integers, they are 'longs'. http://docs.python.org/library/stdtypes.html#typesnumeric They usually don't offer too much trouble, though >>> a=1 >>> b=long(1) >>> a 1 >>> b 1L >>> a==b True Other stackoverflow question about this: here