Drop python 2 and make python 3.8 be the minimum.

Python 3.7 is end-of-life:

https://devguide.python.org/versions/

Author: schwehr

.github/workflows/build.yml

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ jobs:
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
-        python-version: ["2.7.18", "3.5.10", "3.6.15", "3.7.17", "3.8.18", "3.9.18",  "3.10.13", "3.11.7", "3.12.1", "3.13.0a2"]
+        python-version: ["3.8.18", "3.9.18",  "3.10.13", "3.11.7", "3.12.1", "3.13.0a2"]
 
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     container:

setup.cfg

@@ -16,15 +16,14 @@ keywords = gis, geospatial, geographic, shapefile, shapefiles
 classifiers =
     Development Status :: 5 - Production/Stable
     Programming Language :: Python
-    Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7
     Programming Language :: Python :: 3
     Topic :: Scientific/Engineering :: GIS
     Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries
     Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules
 
 [options]
 py_modules = shapefile
-python_requires = >=2.7
+python_requires = >=3.8
 
 [bdist_wheel]
 universal=1

shapefile.py

@@ -74,112 +74,55 @@
     5: 'RING'}
 
 
-# Python 2-3 handling
+xrange = range
+izip = zip
 
-PYTHON3 = sys.version_info[0] == 3
-
-if PYTHON3:
-    xrange = range
-    izip = zip
-
-    from urllib.parse import urlparse, urlunparse
-    from urllib.error import HTTPError
-    from urllib.request import urlopen, Request
+from urllib.parse import urlparse, urlunparse
+from urllib.error import HTTPError
+from urllib.request import urlopen, Request
 
-else:
-    from itertools import izip
-
-    from urlparse import urlparse, urlunparse
-    from urllib2 import HTTPError
-    from urllib2 import urlopen, Request
-
-
 # Helpers
 
 MISSING = [None,'']
 NODATA = -10e38 # as per the ESRI shapefile spec, only used for m-values. 
 
-if PYTHON3:
-    def b(v, encoding='utf-8', encodingErrors='strict'):
-        if isinstance(v, str):
-            # For python 3 encode str to bytes.
-            return v.encode(encoding, encodingErrors)
-        elif isinstance(v, bytes):
-            # Already bytes.
-            return v
-        elif v is None:
-            # Since we're dealing with text, interpret None as ""
-            return b""
-        else:
-            # Force string representation.
-            return str(v).encode(encoding, encodingErrors)
-
-    def u(v, encoding='utf-8', encodingErrors='strict'):
-        if isinstance(v, bytes):
-            # For python 3 decode bytes to str.
-            return v.decode(encoding, encodingErrors)
-        elif isinstance(v, str):
-            # Already str.
-            return v
-        elif v is None:
-            # Since we're dealing with text, interpret None as ""
-            return ""
-        else:
-            # Force string representation.
-            return bytes(v).decode(encoding, encodingErrors)
-
-    def is_string(v):
-        return isinstance(v, str)
-
-else:
-    def b(v, encoding='utf-8', encodingErrors='strict'):
-        if isinstance(v, unicode):
-            # For python 2 encode unicode to bytes.
-            return v.encode(encoding, encodingErrors)
-        elif isinstance(v, bytes):
-            # Already bytes.
-            return v
-        elif v is None:
-            # Since we're dealing with text, interpret None as ""
-            return ""
-        else:
-            # Force string representation.
-            return unicode(v).encode(encoding, encodingErrors)
-
-    def u(v, encoding='utf-8', encodingErrors='strict'):
-        if isinstance(v, bytes):
-            # For python 2 decode bytes to unicode.
-            return v.decode(encoding, encodingErrors)
-        elif isinstance(v, unicode):
-            # Already unicode.
-            return v
-        elif v is None:
-            # Since we're dealing with text, interpret None as ""
-            return u""
-        else:
-            # Force string representation.
-            return bytes(v).decode(encoding, encodingErrors)
+def b(v, encoding='utf-8', encodingErrors='strict'):
+    if isinstance(v, str):
+        # For python 3 encode str to bytes.
+        return v.encode(encoding, encodingErrors)
+    elif isinstance(v, bytes):
+        # Already bytes.
+        return v
+    elif v is None:
+        # Since we're dealing with text, interpret None as ""
+        return b""
+    else:
+        # Force string representation.
+        return str(v).encode(encoding, encodingErrors)
+
+def u(v, encoding='utf-8', encodingErrors='strict'):
+    if isinstance(v, bytes):
+        # For python 3 decode bytes to str.
+        return v.decode(encoding, encodingErrors)
+    elif isinstance(v, str):
+        # Already str.
+        return v
+    elif v is None:
+        # Since we're dealing with text, interpret None as ""
+        return ""
+    else:
+        # Force string representation.
+        return bytes(v).decode(encoding, encodingErrors)
 
-    def is_string(v):
-        return isinstance(v, basestring)
+def is_string(v):
+    return isinstance(v, str)
 
-if sys.version_info[0:2] >= (3, 6):
-    def pathlike_obj(path):
-        if isinstance(path, os.PathLike):
-            return os.fsdecode(path)
-        else:
-            return path
-else:
-    def pathlike_obj(path):
-        if is_string(path):
-            return path
-        elif hasattr(path, "__fspath__"):
-            return path.__fspath__()
-        else:
-            try:
-                return str(path)
-            except:
-                return path
+
+def pathlike_obj(path):
+    if isinstance(path, os.PathLike):
+        return os.fsdecode(path)
+    else:
+        return path
 
 
 # Begin

test_shapefile.py

@@ -2,18 +2,13 @@
 This module tests the functionality of shapefile.py.
 """
 # std lib imports
+import datetime
+import json
 import os.path
-import sys
-if sys.version_info.major == 3:
-    from pathlib import Path
+from pathlib import Path
 
 # third party imports
 import pytest
-import json
-import datetime
-if sys.version_info.major == 2:
-    # required by pytest for python <36
-    from pathlib2 import Path
 
 # our imports
 import shapefile