How Can I Normalize Unicode Strings in Python to Ensure Consistent Length?

Normalizing Unicode Strings for Simplified Representations

Problem:
In Python, when converting a string containing diacritics, such as "á," we observe inconsistencies. The string's length is either 1 or 2 characters, depending on whether the diacritic is represented as a single code point or a sequence of composite code points.

Solution:
To ensure consistent normalization, use the .normalize() function from the unicodedata module. This function converts a Unicode string to its Normal Form Composed (NFC) representation. NFC form combines composite characters like "á" into a single code point, eliminating the inconsistency in string length.

import unicodedata

# Convert to NFC form to combine diacritics
char = "á"
normalized_char = unicodedata.normalize('NFC', char)
print(len(normalized_char))  # Output: 1
print(unicodedata.name(normalized_char))  # Output: LATIN SMALL LETTER A WITH ACUTE

Normalization Forms:
The unicodedata module offers different normalization forms, each with a different approach to character representation:

• NFC (Normal Form Composed): Combines composite characters into a single code point.
• NFD (Normal Form Decomposed): Decomposes composite characters into their combined form.
• NFKC (Normal Form Composed Compatibility): Combines characters and replaces compatibility characters with their canonical form.
• NFKD (Normal Form Decomposed Compatibility): Decomposes characters and replaces compatibility characters with their canonical form.

Additional Considerations:

• Be aware that some composed characters are not decomposable and may not result in the same string after normalization.
• Refer to the Unicode Composition Exclusion Table to understand these exceptions.

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