overpunch
Overpunch Parser/Formatter
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, but with caution. Install if you actively work with legacy mainframe data or COBOL systems that use overpunch encoding. The package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but it has been dormant since 2017 and may not be maintained for modern Python versions. Not recommended for new projects or systems without a specific requirement for this encoding.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- No runtime dependencies, but package has not been updated since 2017 and may have compatibility issues with recent Python versions.
- High install friction due to source-only distribution.
- Dormant maintenance since 2017 with no recent activity, though the repository remains unarchived.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for commercial and private projects.
last release 2017-04-24 (3399 days) · last repo commit 2024-11-03 · 5 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 271,984 downloads/mo, #8,215 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install overpunch
import overpunch
formatted = overpunch.format(123.45) # Returns '1234E'
extracted = overpunch.extract('1234E') # Returns Decimal('123.45')- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python 3 versions beyond those listed in classifiers
- Current status of the GitHub repository and whether it accepts contributions or bug reports
- Whether overpunch encoding is still in active use or primarily historical/legacy systems
What it is and what it does
Overpunch is a lightweight parser and formatter for overpunch-encoded numbers, a legacy numeric representation used primarily in mainframe and COBOL systems to store signed decimal values in fixed-width fields. The encoding embeds the sign in the final character of the number, allowing negative values to be represented without a separate sign byte.
The package provides two main functions: extract() to parse an overpunch-encoded string into a Decimal, and format() to convert a numeric value into overpunch representation. It has no external runtime dependencies and is intended for systems that need to read or generate data in this legacy format, particularly in healthcare and financial data processing where mainframe integration is still common.
Use it for
- Parse overpunch-encoded fields from mainframe data exports or COBOL-generated files
- Convert legacy financial or healthcare records into standard decimal format for modern systems
- Generate overpunch-formatted output for systems that require this encoding as input
- Integrate with data migration pipelines that bridge legacy and modern platforms
- Handle fixed-width record formats common in batch data processing from older systems
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, but with caution.
Install if you actively work with legacy mainframe data or COBOL systems that use overpunch encoding. The package is stable and has no known vulnerabilities, but it has been dormant since 2017 and may not be maintained for modern Python versions. Not recommended for new projects or systems without a specific requirement for this encoding.
Install
overpunch on PyPI
Before you install
High install friction due to source-only distribution. Dormant maintenance since 2017 with no recent activity, though the repository remains unarchived. No runtime dependencies.
No runtime dependencies, but package has not been updated since 2017 and may have compatibility issues with recent Python versions.
License in practice
MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for commercial and private projects.
Quickstart
pip install overpunch
import overpunch
formatted = overpunch.format(123.45) # Returns '1234E'
extracted = overpunch.extract('1234E') # Returns Decimal('123.45')Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python 3 versions beyond those listed in classifiers
- Current status of the GitHub repository and whether it accepts contributions or bug reports
- Whether overpunch encoding is still in active use or primarily historical/legacy systems
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Dormant 3,399 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 271,984 / month, #8,215 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: Healthcare IndustryLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: Text Processing |
Evidence: overpunch-1.1.tar.gz
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