Python Bidi

Warnings

• breaking Version 0.5.0 introduced significant breaking changes, including dropping support for Python versions older than 3.9. The primary import path for `get_display` changed to `from bidi import get_display` (for the Rust-based implementation), and the `upper_is_rtl` parameter was removed from this new implementation.
  Fix: Ensure your project uses Python 3.9+ and update import statements. If you require the Python implementation or the `upper_is_rtl` parameter, explicitly import `from bidi.algorithm import get_display` (note: `upper_is_rtl` is ignored by the Rust implementation).
• breaking Version 0.6.6 removed support for PyPy3.7 and PyPy3.8 due to an upgrade of the underlying `pyo3` library.
  Fix: Upgrade to a newer PyPy version (e.g., PyPy3.9+) or use a CPython environment.
• gotcha When building `python-bidi` for platforms like Android using tools like Buildozer, issues may arise due to incompatible pre-built binary wheels (`.so` files). This can lead to runtime errors.
  Fix: Try forcing `pip` to install from source using `pip install --no-binary python-bidi python-bidi`. Alternatively, consider temporarily downgrading to an older pure-Python version (e.g., `python-bidi==0.4.2`) if source build issues persist.
• gotcha When integrating `python-bidi` with other text processing libraries like `arabic-reshaper`, incorrect handling of string encoding (especially when reading from or writing to files) can lead to unexpected display issues or `AssertionError: LRI not allowed here`.
  Fix: Ensure consistent `utf-8` encoding is used throughout your text processing pipeline, particularly when reading from files (`open(file, 'r', encoding='utf8')`) before passing text to `get_display`.
• deprecated The `upper_is_rtl` argument in `get_display` was a debugging feature specific to the pure Python implementation of the algorithm. It is ignored by the default Rust-based implementation (from `bidi import get_display`) in versions 0.5.0 and later.
  Fix: Avoid using `upper_is_rtl` with the default `get_display` import. If you need its specific behavior (which is generally for debugging), you must explicitly import and use the pure Python implementation via `from bidi.algorithm import get_display`.

Install

• pip install python-bidi Install latest version

Imports

• get_display

  from bidi import get_display

  For versions 0.5.0 and later, this imports the newer, Rust-based implementation. The older 'bidi.algorithm' import is for the pure Python implementation and is used for backward compatibility or specific use cases (e.g., Buildozer, older Python versions).
• get_display (Python algo)

  from bidi.algorithm import get_display

  This explicitly imports the pure Python implementation of the algorithm. It is compatible with older versions and can be useful in environments where the Rust-based wheels might cause issues, or when needing the `upper_is_rtl` parameter (though it's ignored by the Rust impl).

Quickstart

This example demonstrates how to use `get_display` to correctly render BiDi text. The function takes a string and returns the layout for display.

from bidi import get_display

# Example Hebrew text (read as: 'Shalom')
HEBREW_TEXT = ''.join([
    'ש', # Shin
    'ל', # Lamed
    'ו', # Vav
    'ם'  # Final Mem
])

displayed_text = get_display(HEBREW_TEXT)
print(f"Original: {HEBREW_TEXT}")
print(f"Displayed: {displayed_text}")

# Example with mixed LTR/RTL
mixed_text = "Hello שלום World"
displayed_mixed = get_display(mixed_text)
print(f"Original: {mixed_text}")
print(f"Displayed: {displayed_mixed}")