Python format number with commas

I'm using python 2.5 so I don't have access to the built-in formatting.

I looked at the Django code intcomma (intcomma_recurs in code below) and realized it's inefficient, because it's recursive and also compiling the regex on every run is not a good thing either. This is not necessary an 'issue' as django isn't really THAT focused on this kind of low-level performance. Also, I was expecting a factor of 10 difference in performance, but it's only 3 times slower.

Out of curiosity I implemented a few versions of intcomma to see what the performance advantages are when using regex. My test data concludes a slight advantage for this task, but surprisingly not much at all.

I also was pleased to see what I suspected: using the reverse xrange approach is unnecessary in the no-regex case, but it does make the code look slightly better at the cost of ~10% performance.

Also, I assume what you're passing in is a string and looks somewhat like a number. Results undetermined otherwise.

from __future__ import with_statement
from contextlib import contextmanager
import re,time

re_first_num = re.compile(r"\d")
def intcomma_noregex(value):
    end_offset, start_digit, period = len(value),re_first_num.search(value).start(),value.rfind('.')
    if period == -1:
        period=end_offset
    segments,_from_index,leftover = [],0,(period-start_digit) % 3
    for _index in xrange(start_digit+3 if not leftover else start_digit+leftover,period,3):
        segments.append(value[_from_index:_index])
        _from_index=_index
    if not segments:
        return value
    segments.append(value[_from_index:])
    return ','.join(segments)

def intcomma_noregex_reversed(value):
    end_offset, start_digit, period = len(value),re_first_num.search(value).start(),value.rfind('.')
    if period == -1:
        period=end_offset
    _from_index,segments = end_offset,[]
    for _index in xrange(period-3,start_digit,-3):
        segments.append(value[_index:_from_index])
        _from_index=_index
    if not segments:
        return value
    segments.append(value[:_from_index])
    return ','.join(reversed(segments))

re_3digits = re.compile(r'(?<=\d)\d{3}(?!\d)')
def intcomma(value):
    segments,last_endoffset=[],len(value)
    while last_endoffset > 3:
        digit_group = re_3digits.search(value,0,last_endoffset)
        if not digit_group:
            break
        segments.append(value[digit_group.start():last_endoffset])
        last_endoffset=digit_group.start()
    if not segments:
        return value
    if last_endoffset:
        segments.append(value[:last_endoffset])
    return ','.join(reversed(segments))

def intcomma_recurs(value):
    """
    Converts an integer to a string containing commas every three digits.
    For example, 3000 becomes '3,000' and 45000 becomes '45,000'.
    """
    new = re.sub("^(-?\d+)(\d{3})", '\g<1>,\g<2>', str(value))
    if value == new:
        return new
    else:
        return intcomma(new)

@contextmanager
def timed(save_time_func):
    begin=time.time()
    try:
        yield
    finally:
        save_time_func(time.time()-begin)

def testset_xsimple(func):
    func('5')

def testset_simple(func):
    func('567')

def testset_onecomma(func):
    func('567890')

def testset_complex(func):
    func('-1234567.024')

def testset_average(func):
    func('-1234567.024')
    func('567')
    func('5674')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print 'Test results:'
    for test_data in ('5','567','1234','1234.56','-253892.045'):
        for func in (intcomma,intcomma_noregex,intcomma_noregex_reversed,intcomma_recurs):
            print func.__name__,test_data,func(test_data)
    times=[]
    def overhead(x):
        pass
    for test_run in xrange(1,4):
        for func in (intcomma,intcomma_noregex,intcomma_noregex_reversed,intcomma_recurs,overhead):
            for testset in (testset_xsimple,testset_simple,testset_onecomma,testset_complex,testset_average):
                for x in xrange(1000): # prime the test
                    testset(func)
                with timed(lambda x:times.append(((test_run,func,testset),x))):
                    for x in xrange(50000):
                        testset(func)
    for (test_run,func,testset),_delta in times:
        print test_run,func.__name__,testset.__name__,_delta

And here are the test results:

intcomma 5 5
intcomma_noregex 5 5
intcomma_noregex_reversed 5 5
intcomma_recurs 5 5
intcomma 567 567
intcomma_noregex 567 567
intcomma_noregex_reversed 567 567
intcomma_recurs 567 567
intcomma 1234 1,234
intcomma_noregex 1234 1,234
intcomma_noregex_reversed 1234 1,234
intcomma_recurs 1234 1,234
intcomma 1234.56 1,234.56
intcomma_noregex 1234.56 1,234.56
intcomma_noregex_reversed 1234.56 1,234.56
intcomma_recurs 1234.56 1,234.56
intcomma -253892.045 -253,892.045
intcomma_noregex -253892.045 -253,892.045
intcomma_noregex_reversed -253892.045 -253,892.045
intcomma_recurs -253892.045 -253,892.045
1 intcomma testset_xsimple 0.0410001277924
1 intcomma testset_simple 0.0369999408722
1 intcomma testset_onecomma 0.213000059128
1 intcomma testset_complex 0.296000003815
1 intcomma testset_average 0.503000020981
1 intcomma_noregex testset_xsimple 0.134000062943
1 intcomma_noregex testset_simple 0.134999990463
1 intcomma_noregex testset_onecomma 0.190999984741
1 intcomma_noregex testset_complex 0.209000110626
1 intcomma_noregex testset_average 0.513000011444
1 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_xsimple 0.124000072479
1 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_simple 0.12700009346
1 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_onecomma 0.230000019073
1 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_complex 0.236999988556
1 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_average 0.56299996376
1 intcomma_recurs testset_xsimple 0.348000049591
1 intcomma_recurs testset_simple 0.34600019455
1 intcomma_recurs testset_onecomma 0.625
1 intcomma_recurs testset_complex 0.773999929428
1 intcomma_recurs testset_average 1.6890001297
1 overhead testset_xsimple 0.0179998874664
1 overhead testset_simple 0.0190000534058
1 overhead testset_onecomma 0.0190000534058
1 overhead testset_complex 0.0190000534058
1 overhead testset_average 0.0309998989105
2 intcomma testset_xsimple 0.0360000133514
2 intcomma testset_simple 0.0369999408722
2 intcomma testset_onecomma 0.207999944687
2 intcomma testset_complex 0.302000045776
2 intcomma testset_average 0.523000001907
2 intcomma_noregex testset_xsimple 0.139999866486
2 intcomma_noregex testset_simple 0.141000032425
2 intcomma_noregex testset_onecomma 0.203999996185
2 intcomma_noregex testset_complex 0.200999975204
2 intcomma_noregex testset_average 0.523000001907
2 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_xsimple 0.130000114441
2 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_simple 0.129999876022
2 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_onecomma 0.236000061035
2 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_complex 0.241999864578
2 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_average 0.582999944687
2 intcomma_recurs testset_xsimple 0.351000070572
2 intcomma_recurs testset_simple 0.352999925613
2 intcomma_recurs testset_onecomma 0.648999929428
2 intcomma_recurs testset_complex 0.808000087738
2 intcomma_recurs testset_average 1.81900000572
2 overhead testset_xsimple 0.0189998149872
2 overhead testset_simple 0.0189998149872
2 overhead testset_onecomma 0.0190000534058
2 overhead testset_complex 0.0179998874664
2 overhead testset_average 0.0299999713898
3 intcomma testset_xsimple 0.0360000133514
3 intcomma testset_simple 0.0360000133514
3 intcomma testset_onecomma 0.210000038147
3 intcomma testset_complex 0.305999994278
3 intcomma testset_average 0.493000030518
3 intcomma_noregex testset_xsimple 0.131999969482
3 intcomma_noregex testset_simple 0.136000156403
3 intcomma_noregex testset_onecomma 0.192999839783
3 intcomma_noregex testset_complex 0.202000141144
3 intcomma_noregex testset_average 0.509999990463
3 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_xsimple 0.125999927521
3 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_simple 0.126999855042
3 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_onecomma 0.235999822617
3 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_complex 0.243000030518
3 intcomma_noregex_reversed testset_average 0.56200003624
3 intcomma_recurs testset_xsimple 0.337000131607
3 intcomma_recurs testset_simple 0.342000007629
3 intcomma_recurs testset_onecomma 0.609999895096
3 intcomma_recurs testset_complex 0.75
3 intcomma_recurs testset_average 1.68300008774
3 overhead testset_xsimple 0.0189998149872
3 overhead testset_simple 0.018000125885
3 overhead testset_onecomma 0.018000125885
3 overhead testset_complex 0.0179998874664
3 overhead testset_average 0.0299999713898

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