NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined in Python

The NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined python error is mainly a type of NameError. These types of errors are easy to handle and are easy to detect. Like NameError, it also does not define the source of error, which can be a bit of work, but most are easily detectable.

This article will help you find the causes and appropriate solutions for it.

What is NameError?

The NameError is an exception that is related to unqualified names. It arises when a local or global name is not available in the data set. It can also be expanded while using variables, functions, or modules. The name attempted to be accessed can be added to the data set using the keyword-only argument.

These errors are mainly caused when the variables and functions remain undefined. Apart from that, the NameError can be raised when the variable or function names are misspelled while calling them Or using modules without importing modules.

What is the NameError: name Unicode is not defined?

The name Unicode is not defined in python as a type of NameError that occurs while dealing with the Unicode objects in a code. This error is raised when Unicode taken is not defined or missing. These errors are easy to deal with as it only requires a bit of renaming of the Unicode.

What causes NameError: name Unicode is not defined error?

As defined above, the NameError: name Unicode is not defined can be caused due to the absence of the Unicode. It can also be related to the versions of python.

In python version 2, the Unicode() function will work just fine but in python version 3, if you use the Unicode() function, it will result in the NameError: name Unicode is not defined exception error.

Another reason which can raise this error is the interference of the third-party libraries used for data manipulations. It will result in the NameError: name Unicode is not defined error.

Syntax: –

if isinstance(unicode_or_str, unicode):
    text = unicode_or_str
    decoded = False
else:
    text = unicode_or_str.decode(encoding)
    decoded = True

Solution for NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined

The NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined python error is mainly related to versions of python or third-party libraries, so it can be quickly resolved by replacing Unicode() with str() and bytes(). The error can be resolved by using any of the methods defined below. Such as

Replacing the Unicode() function with str()

The Unicode() function in python 3 is renamed as str(). So the NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined error related to a global name can be avoided if the Unicode() function is replaced with the str() function. It is a must to replace all the Unicode() with str() if you are working in python 3. The str() function can only replace the Unicode() when the data is text type.

Syntax:

import sysif 
sys.version_info[0] >= 3: 
 unicode = strprint(unicode('ABC'))

The above program will result in the output without raising any NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined error.

Replacing Unicode() function with byte() function

The str() function can only be used for text-type data. However, the bytes() function is used while dealing with the binary data type. The Binary data are nothing but the encoded Unicode that is represented as the binary data.

Syntax:

text = 'brown'
binary_data = bytes(text, 'utf-8')
print(binary_data)

The above program will result in the output without raising any NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined error.

Using the same functions on both the sides

Sometimes the third-party library uses the Unicode() function in the program even if you are not using it. To resolve this, you may manipulate the symbol table of the imported library, which can be done by assigning the str() function to the Unicode of the imported library.

Syntax:

import library_name
library name.unicode=str

FAQs

What is str.encode()?

In python 3, the str. encode() function is used for converting strings into binary data types if the codes are not present in that form. The function is used when the data set is converted from Unicode to encoded Unicode. This function can also be represented as ‘str(b, encoding=…)’.

Syntax:

text = 'brown'
binary_data = str.encode('utf-8')
print(binary_data)

The above program will produce the text with the ‘b’ literals as the literal represents the binary data type. It

What are bytes.decode()?

In python 3, the bytes.decode() function is used to convert the bytes into strings. It is used to convert the encoded Unicode to a simple Unicode. This function can also be represented as ‘bytes(s, encoding=…)’.

Syntax:

text = 'brown'
text_again = binary_data.decode('utf-8')
print(text_again)

The above program will produce only text without any literal output.

Conclusion

This guide can help you find the causes and the possible solution for the NameError: Name Unicode Is Not Defined error. The error is also related to the versions of python, so you may check the version you are using along with the other causes.

References

• NameError: Python Documentation

To learn more about errors in Python, head to Errors Section.