How to Convert a String with Commas and Dots to a Float in Python?

Converting a String with Dot and Comma to a Float in Python

Problem

How can we convert a string like "123,456.908" into a float like 123456.908 in Python?

Solution: Using the Localization Services

Python's localization services allow us to handle locale-specific conversions.

The Default Locale

The default locale uses a "C" setting, which doesn't account for regional formatting conventions. Therefore, by default, atof(string):

• Interprets commas as decimal separators.
• Doesn't handle thousands separators.

To fix this, we need to explicitly set the locale to match the data's origin.

Using a Locale from the Environment

We can use setlocale(LC_ALL, '') to read the user's preferred locale settings from the environment. This allows locale-aware methods like locale.atof to handle thousands separators correctly.

Setting a Locale Explicitly

We can also set a specific locale using setlocale(LC_NUMERIC, locale_string). This enables localized formatting and parsing for numbers only.

Caveats

Setting the locale can affect program behavior globally and is not thread safe. It should be done carefully and sparingly. It's generally preferred to use internationalization libraries for locale-independent data handling.

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