Docs: Python 2 Unicode prefix in Quickstart JSON example

[js-muc]

Hi, I was reading through the Quickstart guide and noticed a small documentation issue in the JSON response example.

In docs/quickstart.md around line 120, the example output shows Python 2 Unicode string prefixes (u'repository', u'open_issues'):

>>> r = httpx.get('https://api.github.com/events')
>>> r.json()
[{u'repository': {u'open_issues': 0, u'url': 'https://github.com/...' ...  }}]

Since pyproject.toml specifies requires-python = ">=3.9", and all strings in Python 3 are Unicode by default, the u prefix is outdated and unnecessary here. The actual r.json() method in the code returns a standard Python 3 dict without the prefix.

It's a minor thing, but removing the u prefixes from this example would make it accurate for modern Python users.

Happy to submit a PR if you'd like.

[phlppgdfry]

The current docs/quickstart.md still contains those prefixes in the JSON Response Content example. You're right that they don't match the representation Python 3 normally prints.

One small distinction: u"text" remains valid Python 3 syntax for compatibility, so this is a misleading output example rather than invalid Python code or an HTTPX decoding bug.

You can demonstrate the representation without depending on a changing GitHub API response:

>>> import json
>>> json.loads('{"repository": {"open_issues": 0}}')
{'repository': {'open_issues': 0}}

I checked that example locally with Python 3. Removing the u prefixes would make the existing example clearer; if the example is refreshed more broadly, a small fixed JSON response would also make it easier to keep accurate over time.

Source file: https://github.com/encode/httpx/blob/master/docs/quickstart.md#json-response-content

[js-muc]

Thanks for the detailed check, @philppgdfry! You make a great point about the distinction. I'll be precise in the PR and describe it as a "misleading output example" rather than invalid syntax.

I also really like your idea of using json.loads with a fixed response. It makes sense to remove the dependency on the live GitHub API so the example doesn't break if GitHub changes its output.

To keep this focused, I'll submit a PR just removing the u prefixes for now, so the printed output matches what Python 3 actually shows. If you or the other maintainers think it's worth updating the broader example to use a local JSON string, I'd be happy to do that as a follow-up.

Thanks again for the guidance and for checking it locally!

[phlppgdfry]

Thanks! Keeping the PR focused on removing the u prefixes sounds sensible to me. My fixed-JSON example was just a way to demonstrate Python 3’s output; it wasn’t intended as a request to replace the HTTPX Quickstart example. I’ll leave any broader documentation changes to the maintainers.

[js-muc]

Thanks @philppgdfry. I went to open the PR, but noticed the repository has the setting enabled that restricts opening pull requests to collaborators only.

To avoid any hassle, I've generated the patch file directly. Since it's just a one-line change, I've also pasted the diff below in case it's faster for you to apply manually.

Let me know if you'd prefer me to do anything else!

diff --git a/docs/quickstart.md b/docs/quickstart.md
index e140b53..1aa8b03 100644
--- a/docs/quickstart.md
+++ b/docs/quickstart.md
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ Often Web API responses will be encoded as JSON.

>>> r = httpx.get('https://api.github.com/events')
>>> r.json()
-[{u'repository': {u'open_issues': 0, u'url': 'https://github.com/...' ...  }}]
+[{'repository': {'open_issues': 0, 'url': 'https://github.com/...' ...  }}]