TypeError: decoding str is not supported (converting bytes into str)

Question

I have this code

def run(self):
    while True:
        c, a = self.sock.accept()
        print(c)
        name = c.recv(1024)
        people = ""
        self.name_list.append(str(name, 'utf-8'))
        num_g = len(self.name_list)
        c.send(bytes(str(num_g), 'utf-8'))
        print((str(num_g)))

        data = str(c.recv(1024), 'utf-8')
        print(data)
        if str(data) == "ok":
            for name in self.name_list:
                print(name)
                c.send(bytes(name, 'utf-8'))
        print(len(self.name_list))
        print(strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", gmtime())+" "+str(name, 'utf-8')+ " is connected")

and i get this error

    File "./server.py", line 51, in run
    print(strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", gmtime())+" "+str(name, 'utf-8')+ " is connected")
TypeError: decoding str is not supported

i don't understand why i get this error. when i receive the bytes from connection,

name = c.recv(1024)

the name is in bytes, that's why i tried to make it string when i print that line

Answer 1

You've already converted that name to a str.

The line

self.name_list.append(str(name, 'utf-8'))

converts the name to a string and saves it a list.

Then

for name in self.name_list:

loops over those names, and at the end of the for loop the value of name is the final converted name in self.name_list.

So when you do

strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S", gmtime())+" "+str(name, 'utf-8')+ " is connected")

It's using that name, not the raw one returned by name = c.recv(1024)

The simple solution is to use a different variable name in that for loop which processes self.name_list.