[perl-python] 20050121 file reading & writing

[Xah Lee]

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
# Python

# to open a file and write to file
# do

f=open('xfile.txt','w')
# this creates a file "object" and name it f.

# the second argument of open can be
# 'w' for write (overwrite exsiting file)
# 'a' for append (ditto)
# 'r' or read only


# to actually print to file or read from
# file, one uses methods of file
# objects. e.g.

# reading entire file
# text = f.read()

# reading the one line
# line = f.realine()

# reading entire file as a list, of lines
# mylist = f.readlines()

# to write to file, do
f.write('yay, first line!\n')

# when you are done, close the file
f.close()

# closing files saves memory and is
# proper in large programs.

# see
# http://python.org/doc/2.3.4/tut/node9.html

# or in Python terminal,
# type help() then topic FILES

# try to write a program that read in a
# file and print it to a new file.

------------------------
# in perl, similar functionality exists.
# their construct is quite varied.

# example of reading in file
# and print it out
# (first, save this file as x.pl)
open(f,"<x.pl") or die "error: $!";
while ($line = <f>) {print $line}
close(f) or die "error: $!";
print "am printing myself\n";

# the above is a so called "idiom"
# meaning that it is the way such is
# done in a particular language, as in
# English.

# note, the f really should be F in Perl
# by some references, but can also be
# lower case f or even "f". All are not
# uncommon. There is no clear reason for
# why or what should be or what
# is the difference. Usually it's
# not worthwhile to question in
# Perl. ">x.pl" would be for write to
# file. The <f> tells perl the file
# object, and when Perl sees t=<> it
# reads a line. (usually, but technically
# depending on some predefined
# variables...) The f they call "file handle".
# ... see
# perldoc -tf open
# to begin understanding.

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[Gian Mario Tagliaretti]

# the second argument of open can be
# 'w' for write (overwrite exsiting file)
# 'a' for append (ditto)
# 'r' or read only

are you sure you didn't forget something?

# reading the one line
# line = f.realine()
wrong

[...]

Maybe you didn't get the fact the you won't see a flame starting between
python people and perl friends?

throw yourself somewhere and... Xah.flush()

 

[Bob Smith]

# reading entire file as a list, of lines
# mylist = f.readlines()

To do this efficiently on a large file (dozens or hundreds of megs), you
should use the 'sizehint' parameter so as not to use too much memory:

sizehint = 0
mylist = f.readlines(sizehint)

 

[Erik Max Francis]

To do this efficiently on a large file (dozens or hundreds of megs), you
should use the 'sizehint' parameter so as not to use too much memory:

sizehint = 0
mylist = f.readlines(sizehint)

It doesn't make any difference. .readlines reads the entire file into
memory at once.

 

[Bob Smith]

It doesn't make any difference. .readlines reads the entire file into
memory at once.

Are you sure, the docs say this:

"f.readlines() returns a list containing all the lines of data in the
file. If given an optional parameter sizehint, it reads that many bytes
from the file and enough more to complete a line, and returns the lines
from that. This is often used to allow efficient reading of a large file
by lines, but without having to load the entire file in memory. Only
complete lines will be returned."

http://docs.python.org/tut/node9.html

 

[Fredrik Lundh]

It doesn't make any difference. .readlines reads the entire file into memory at once.

except when it doesn't:

readlines([sizehint])

Read until EOF using readline() and return a list containing the
lines thus read. If the optional sizehint argument is present, instead
of reading up to EOF, whole lines totalling approximately sizehint
bytes (possibly after rounding up to an internal buffer size) are read.
Objects implementing a file-like interface may choose to ignore
sizehint if it cannot be implemented, or cannot be implemented
efficiently.

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