How to Solve the NameError: Global Name 'unicode' Is Not Defined in Python

String manipulation is one of the critical tasks involved in analyzing datasets. In Python, we use various third-party libraries for data manipulation.

Sometimes, errors might occur due to the incompatibility of libraries with the Python version. One such error is the NameError with the message global name 'unicode' is not defined.

This article will discuss the causes and solutions of the error NameError: global name 'unicode' is not defined in Python.

Cause of the NameError: global name 'unicode' is not defined in Python

The NameError: global name 'unicode' is not defined can occur in the following case.

the NameError: global name 'unicode' is not defined While Using the unicode() Function in Python 3

The unicode() function is used in Python version 2.x to represent a text in characters, as shown below.

If you use the unicode() function in Python version 3.x, you will get the NameError with the message global name 'unicode' is not defined.

If you are not using the unicode() function, the third-party library that you are using in your program might be using this function. Due to this, the program might be running into the NameError exception.

Solve the ‘NameError: Global Name ‘Unicode’ Is Not Defined’ in Python

To solve NameError: global name 'unicode' is not defined, we can use the following approaches.

1. In Python 3.x, the unicode() function has been replaced with the str() function. So, to avoid the NameError: global name 'unicode' is not defined error , you can use the str() function instead of the unicode() function, as shown below.

   

2. If you have copied a long chunk of code that uses the unicode() function and you don’t want to edit the code, you can make an assignment unicode=str before the code. After this, whenever the unicode() function is called, the str() function will be called, and your program will not run into an error.

   

3. If you use a third-party library that uses the unicode() function, you can manipulate the symbol table of the imported library to make your code work. For this, we will assign the str() function to the unicode attribute of the imported library, as shown below.

   import library_name
   
   libraryname.unicode = str
   

Conclusion

In this article, we have discussed the causes of the NameError: global name 'unicode' is not defined. We have also discussed possible solutions to this problem.

To avoid these kinds of errors, you can refer to the official documentation of the functions. For instance, if you refer to the documentation of the unicode() function, you will directly know that the function has been deprecated in Python 3; hence, you have to use the str() function instead of the unicode() function.

Similarly, you can avoid other errors by simply looking at the documentation before using a function in your program.