str.expandtabs documentation is wrong

[johnfeuerstein]

BPO	13365
Files	expandtabs_doc.diff

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2011-11-11.08:35:19.209>
created_at = <Date 2011-11-07.14:23:05.213>
labels = ['docs']
title = 'str.expandtabs documentation is wrong'
updated_at = <Date 2011-11-11.08:35:19.208>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/johnfeuerstein'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2011-11-11.08:35:19.208>
actor = 'eli.bendersky'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2011-11-11.08:35:19.209>
closer = 'eli.bendersky'
components = ['Documentation']
creation = <Date 2011-11-07.14:23:05.213>
creator = 'john.feuerstein'
dependencies = []
files = ['23625']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 13365
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 5.0
messages = ['147222', '147224', '147225', '147420', '147421']
nosy_count = 4.0
nosy_names = ['eli.bendersky', 'docs@python', 'python-dev', 'john.feuerstein']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = None
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue13365'
versions = ['Python 3.3']

[johnfeuerstein]

The documentation for str.expandtabs([tabsize]) is wrong:

"Return a copy of the string where all tab characters are replaced by one or more spaces, depending on the current column and the given tab size. [...]"

This should read "zero or more spaces":

>>> 'a\tb'.expandtabs(0)
'ab'
>>> 'a\tb'.expandtabs(-1)
'ab'

The description in Objects/unicodeobject.c does not include this error.

[elibendersky]

While we're at it, wouldn't it be clearer to say "... where each tab character is replaced by..."?

[elibendersky]

Other than that, the patch looks good.

[python-dev]

New changeset 84f803fdc0d2 by Eli Bendersky in branch '3.2':
Issue bpo-13365: correct an error in the documentation of str.expandtabs
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/84f803fdc0d2

New changeset 25191fe10da9 by Eli Bendersky in branch 'default':
Issue bpo-13365: correct an error in the documentation of str.expandtabs. Patch by John Feuerstein
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/25191fe10da9

[elibendersky]

Committed. Thanks for contributing.