V is for visible characters - Python A to Z

Python A-Z is a blog series about Python. Each day, I share insights, ideas and examples for different parts of Python development that match with the letter of the day. Blaugust is an annual blogging festival in August where the goal is to write a blog post every day of the month. I recently built a website to display my Pokédex Binder. I have a physical binder where I collect Pokémon TCG cards in a way where I aim to have one card for each Pokémon and their regional variants (and some forms when applicable). For each card, I can write a short note to tell why it’s in my binder. Here’s an example of my most recent addition: an Onix card that’s signed by all the players in our recent retro tournament where I finished 2nd. The box has limited size so I need a way to control that in data entry: it should tell me when I’ve written too much. At the same time, I want to allow myself to use Markdown to add formatting and links so I can’t simply count the characters of the input. I needed a…