:mod:`io` --- Core tools for working with streams ================================================= .. module:: io :synopsis: Core tools for working with streams. .. moduleauthor:: Guido van Rossum .. moduleauthor:: Mike Verdone .. moduleauthor:: Mark Russell .. sectionauthor:: Benjamin Peterson The :mod:`io` module provides the Python interfaces to stream handling. The builtin :func:`open` function is defined in this module. At the top of the I/O hierarchy is the abstract base class :class:`IOBase`. It defines the basic interface to a stream. Note, however, that there is no seperation between reading and writing to streams; implementations are allowed to throw an :exc:`IOError` if they do not support a given operation. Extending :class:`IOBase` is :class:`RawIOBase` which deals simply with the reading and writing of raw bytes to a stream. :class:`FileIO` subclasses :class:`RawIOBase` to provide an interface to OS files. :class:`BufferedIOBase` deals with buffering on a raw byte stream (:class:`RawIOBase`). Its subclasses, :class:`BufferedWriter`, :class:`BufferedReader`, and :class:`BufferedRWPair` buffer streams that are readable, writable, and both respectively. :class:`BufferedRandom` provides a buffered interface to random access streams. :class:`BytesIO` is a simple stream of in-memory bytes. Another :class:`IOBase` subclass, :class:`TextIOBase` deals with the encoding and decoding of streams into text. :class:`TextIOWrapper`, which extends it, is a buffered text interface to a buffered raw stream (:class:`BufferedIOBase`). Finally, :class:`StringIO` is a in-memory stream for text. Module Interface ---------------- .. data:: DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE An int containing the default buffer size used by the module's buffered I/O classes. :func:`open` uses the file's blksize (as obtained by os.stat) if possible. .. function:: open(file[, mode[, buffering[, encoding[, errors[, newline[, closefd=True]]]]]]) Open *file* and return a stream. *file* is a string giving the name of the file, or an integer file descriptor of the file to be wrapped. The optional *mode* string determines how the file is opened and consists of a combination of the following characters: ========= =============================================================== Character Meaning --------- --------------------------------------------------------------- ``'r'`` open for reading (default) ``'w'`` open for writing, truncating the file first ``'a'`` open for writing, appending to the end of the file if it exists ``'b'`` binary mode ``'t'`` text mode (default) ``'+'`` open a disk file for updating (reading and writing) ``'U'`` universal newline mode (for backwards compatibility; unneeded for new code) ========= =============================================================== The default mode is ``'rt'`` (open for reading text). For binary random access, the mode ``'w+b'`` opens and truncates the file to 0 bytes, while ``'r+b'`` opens the file without truncation. *buffering* is an optional argument controling the buffering of the returned stream. A value of ``0`` means no buffering, ``1`` means line buffered, and a greater value means full buffering with the given buffer size. Buffering cannot be disabled in text mode. *encoding* is the name of the encoding used to decode or encode the file. This may only be used in text mode. Any encoding available in the :mod:`codecs` module registry can be used. *errors* specifies how the encoding should treat errors. "strict", the default raises a :exc:`ValueError` on problems. See the *errors* argument of :func:`codecs.open` for more information. XXX *newline* controls how universal newlines works (it only applies to text mode). It can be ``None``, ``''``, ``'\n'``, ``'\r'``, and ``'\r\n'``. It works as follows: * On input, if *newline* is ``None``, universal newlines mode is enabled. Lines in the input can end in ``'\n'``, ``'\r'``, or ``'\r\n'``, and these are translated into ``'\n'`` before being returned to the caller. If it is ``''``, universal newline mode is enabled, but line endings are returned to the caller untranslated. If it has any of the other legal values, input lines are only terminated by the given string, and the line ending is returned to the caller untranslated. * On output, if *newline* is ``None``, any ``'\n'`` characters written are translated to the system default line separator, :data:`os.linesep`. If *newline* is ``''``, no translation takes place. If *newline* is any of the other legal values, any ``'\n'`` characters written are translated to the given string. If *closefd* is :keyword:`False`, the underlying file descriptor will be kept open when the file is closed. This does not work when a file name is given. The :func:`open` function returns a file object whose type depends on the mode, and through which the standard file operations such as reading and writing are performed. When :func:`open` is used to open a file in a text mode (``'w'``, ``'r'``, ``'wt'``, ``'rt'``, etc.), it returns a :class:`TextIOWrapper`. When used to open a file in a binary mode, the returned class varies: in read binary mode, it returns a :class:`BufferedReader`; in write binary and append binary modes, it returns a :class:`BufferedWriter`, and in read/write mode, it returns a :class:`BufferedRandom`. It is also possible to use a string or bytearray as a file for both reading and writing. For strings :class:`io.StringIO` can be used like a file opened in a text mode, and for bytes a :class:`io.BytesIO` can be used like a file opened in a binary mode. .. exception:: BlockingIOError Error raised when blocking would occur on a non-blocking stream. It inherits :exc:`IOError`. In addition to those of :exc:`IOError`, :exc:`BlockingIOError` has one attribute: .. attribute:: characters_written An integer containing the number of characters written to the stream before it blocked. .. exception:: UnsupportedOperation An exception inheriting :exc:`IOError` and :exc:`ValueError` that is raised when an unsupported operation is called on a stream. I/O Base Classes ---------------- .. class:: IOBase The abstract base class for all I/O classes, acting on streams of bytes. There is no public constructor. This class provides dummy implementations for many methods that derived classes can override selectively; the default implementations represent a file that cannot be read, written or seeked. Even though :class:`IOBase` does not declare :meth:`read`, :meth:`readinto`, :meth:`seek`, or :meth:`write` because their signatures will vary, implementations and clients should consider those methods part of the interface. Also, implementations may raise a :exc:`IOError` when operations they do not support are called. The basic type used for binary data read from or written to a file is :class:`bytes`. :class:`bytearray`\s are accepted too, and in some cases (such as :class:`readinto`) needed. Text I/O classes work with :class:`str` data. Note that calling any method (even inquiries) on a closed file is undefined. Implementations may raise :exc:`IOError` in this case. IOBase (and its subclasses) support the iterator protocol, meaning that an :class:`IOBase` object can be iterated over yielding the lines in a stream. IOBase also supports the :keyword:`with` statement. In this example, *fp* is closed after the suite of the with statment is complete:: with open('spam.txt', 'r') as fp: fp.write('Spam and eggs!') :class:`IOBase` provides these methods: .. method:: close() Flush and close this stream. This method has no effect if the file is already closed. .. attribute:: closed True if the stream is closed. .. method:: fileno() Return the underlying file descriptor (an integer) of the stream, if it exists. Raises :exc:`IOError` if the IO object does not use a file descriptor. .. method:: flush() Flush the write buffers of the stream if applicable. This is a no-op for read-only and non-blocking streams. .. method:: isatty() Tell if a stream is interactive (connected to a terminal/tty device). .. method:: readable() Tell if a stream can be read from. If False, :meth:`read` will raise :exc:`IOError`. .. method:: readline([limit]) Read and return a line from the stream. If *limit* is specified, at most *limit* bytes will be read. The line terminator is always ``b'\n'`` for binary files; for text files the *newlines* argument to :func:`.open` can be used to select the line terminator(s) recognized. .. method:: readlines([hint]) Return a list of lines from the stream. *hint* can be specified to control the number of lines read: no more lines will be read if the total size (in bytes/characters) of all lines so far exceeds *hint*. .. method:: seekable() Tell if a stream supports random IO access. If ``False``, :meth:`seek`, :meth:`tell` and :meth:`truncate` will raise :exc:`IOError`. .. method:: tell() Return an integer indicating the current stream position. .. method:: writable() Tell if a stream supports writing. If ``False``, :meth:`write` and :meth:`truncate` will raise :exc:`IOError`. .. method:: writelines(lines) Write a list of lines to the stream. The lines will not be altered; they must contain line separators. .. class:: RawIOBase Base class for raw binary I/O. It inherits :class:`IOBase`. There is no public constructor. RawIOBase provides or overrides these methods in addition to those from :class:`IOBase`: .. method:: RawIOBase.read([n]) Read and return all bytes from the stream until EOF, or if *n* is specified, up to *n* bytes. An empty bytes object is returned on EOF; ``None`` is returned if the object is set not to block and has no data to read. .. method:: RawIOBase.readall() Read and return all bytes from the stream until EOF. Raw File I/O ------------ .. class:: FileIO(name[, mode]) :class:`FileIO` represents an OS file containing bytes data. It implements the :class:`RawIOBase` interface (and therefore the :class:`IOBase` interface, too). The *mode* can be ``'r'``, ``'w'`` or ``'a'`` for reading (default), writing, or appending. The file will be created if it doesn't exist when opened for writing or appending; it will be truncated when opened for writing. Add a ``'+'`` to the mode to allow simultaneous reading and writing. :class:`FileIO` provides or overrides these methods in addition to those from :class:`RawIOBase` and :class:`IOBase`: .. attribute:: mode The mode as given in the constructor. .. attribute:: name The file name. .. method:: read([n]) Read and return bytes at most *n* bytes. Only one system call is made, so less data than requested may be returned. In non-blocking mode, ``None`` is returned when no data is available. .. method:: readall() Read and return as bytes all the data from the file. As much as immediately available is returned in non-blocking mode. If the EOF has been reached, ``b''`` is returned. .. method:: readinto(bytearray) This method should not be used on :class:`FileIO` objects. .. method:: seek(offset, [whence]) Change the stream position to byte offset *pos*. *pos* is interpreted relative to the position indicated by *whence*. Values for *whence* are: * ``0`` -- start of stream (the default); *pos* should be zero or positive * ``1`` -- current stream position; *pos* may be negative * ``2`` -- end of stream; *pos* is usually negative Return the new absolute position. .. method:: truncate([pos]) Truncate the file to at most *pos* bytes. *pos* defaults to the current file position, as returned by :meth:`tell`. .. method:: write(b) Write the bytes *b* to the file, and return the number actually written. Only one system call is made, so not all of the data may be written. Buffered Streams ---------------- .. class:: BufferedIOBase Base class for streams that support buffering. It inherits :class:`IOBase`. There is no public constructor. The main difference with :class:`RawIOBase` is that the :meth:`read` method supports omitting the *size* argument, and does not have a default implementation that defers to :meth:`readinto`. In addition, :meth:`read`, :meth:`readinto`, and :meth:`write` may raise :exc:`BlockingIOError` if the underlying raw stream is in non-blocking mode and not ready; unlike their raw counterparts, they will never return ``None``. A typical implementation should not inherit from a :class:`RawIOBase` implementation, but wrap one like :class:`BufferedWriter` and :class:`BufferedReader`. :class:`BufferedIOBase` provides or overrides these methods in addition to those from :class:`IOBase`: .. method:: read([n]) Read and return up to *n* bytes. If the argument is omitted, ``None``, or negative, data is read and returned until EOF is reached. An empty bytes object is returned if the stream is already at EOF. If the argument is positive, and the underlying raw stream is not interactive, multiple raw reads may be issued to satisfy the byte count (unless EOF is reached first). But for interactive raw streams, at most one raw read will be issued, and a short result does not imply that EOF is imminent. A :exc:`BlockingIOError` is raised if the underlying raw stream has no data at the moment. .. method:: readinto(b) Read up to len(b) bytes into bytearray *b* and return the number of bytes read. Like :meth:`read`, multiple reads may be issued to the underlying raw stream, unless the latter is 'interactive.' A :exc:`BlockingIOError` is raised if the underlying raw stream has no data at the moment. .. method:: seek(pos[, whence]) Change the stream position to byte offset *pos*. *pos* is interpreted relative to the position indicated by *whence*. Values for *whence* are: * ``0`` -- start of stream (the default); *pos* should be zero or positive * ``1`` -- current stream position; *pos* may be negative * ``2`` -- end of stream; *pos* is usually negative Return the new absolute position. .. method:: write(b) Write the given bytes to the underlying raw stream and return the number of bytes written (never less than ``len(b)``). A :exc:`BlockingIOError` is raised if the buffer is full, and the underlying raw stream cannot accept more data at the moment. .. class:: BytesIO([initial_bytes]) A stream implementation using an in-memory bytes buffer. It inherits :class:`BufferedIOBase`. The argument *initial_bytes* is an optional initial bytearray. :class:`BytesIO` provides or overrides these methods in addition to those from :class:`BufferedIOBase` and :class:`IOBase`: .. method:: getvalue() Return the bytes value of the buffer. .. method:: read1() In :class:`BytesIO`, this is the same as :meth:`read`. .. method:: truncate([pos]) Truncate the file to at most *pos* bytes. *pos* defaults to the current stream position, as returned by :meth:`tell`. .. class:: BufferedReader(raw, [buffer_size]) A buffer for a readable sequential RawIO object. It inherits :class:`BufferedIOBase`. The constructor creates a :class:`BufferedReader` for the given readable *raw* stream and *buffer_size*. If *buffer_size* is omitted, :data:`DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE` is used. :class:`BufferedReader` provides or overrides these methods in addition to those from :class:`BufferedIOBase` and :class:`IOBase`: .. method:: peek([n]) Return bytes from a buffer without advancing the position. The argument indicates a desired minimal number of bytes; only one read on the raw stream is done to satisfy it. More than the buffer's size is never returned. .. method:: read([n]) Read and return *n* bytes, or if *n* is not given or negative, until EOF or if the read call would block in non-blocking mode. .. method:: read1(n) Read and return up to *n* bytes with only one call on the raw stream. If at least one byte is buffered, only buffered bytes are returned. Otherwise, one raw stream read call is made. .. class:: BufferedWriter(raw, [buffer_size, [max_buffer_size]]) A buffer for a writeable sequential RawIO object. It inherits :class:`BufferedIOBase`. The constructor creates a :class:`BufferedWriter` for the given writeable *raw* stream. If the *buffer_size* is not given, it defaults to :data:`DEAFULT_BUFFER_SIZE`. If *max_buffer_size* is omitted, it defaults to twice the buffer size. :class:`BufferedWriter` provides or overrides these methods in addition to those from :class:`BufferedIOBase` and :class:`IOBase`: .. method:: flush() Force bytes held in the buffer into the raw stream. A :exc:`BlockingIOError` is be raised if the raw stream blocks. .. method:: write(b) Write bytes *b* onto the raw stream and return the number written. A :exc:`BlockingIOError` is raised when the raw stream blocks. .. class:: BufferedRWPair(reader, writer, [buffer_size, [max_buffer_size]]) A buffered writer and reader object together for a raw stream that can be written and read from. It has and supports both :meth:`read`, :meth:`write`, and their variants. This is useful for such applications such as sockets and two-way pipes. It inherits :class:`BufferedIOBase`. *reader* and *writer* are :class:`RawIOBase` objects that are readable and writeable respectively. If the *buffer_size* is omitted it defaults to :data:`DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE`. The *max_buffer_size* (for the buffered writer) defaults to twice the buffer size. :class:`BufferedRWPair` implements all of :class:`BufferedIOBase`\'s methods. .. class:: BufferedRandom(raw, [buffer_size, [max_buffer_size]]) A buffered interface to random access streams. It inherits :class:`BufferedReader` and :class:`BufferedWriter`. The constructor creates a reader and writer for a seekable *raw* stream given in the first argument. If the *buffer_size* is omitted it defaults to :data:`DEFAULT_BUFFER_SIZE`. The *max_buffer_size* (for the buffered writer) defaults to twice the buffer size. :class:`BufferedRandom` is capable of anything :class:`BufferedReader` or :class:`BufferedWriter` can do. Text I/O -------- .. class:: TextIOBase Base class for text streams. This class provides a character and line based interface to stream I/O. There is no :meth:`readinto` method because Python's character strings are immutable. It inherits :class:`IOBase`. There is no public constructor. :class:`TextIOBase` provides or overrides these methods in addition to those from :class:`IOBase`: .. attribute:: encoding Return the name of the encoding used to decode the stream's bytes into strings, and to encode strings into bytes. .. attribute:: newlines Return a string, tuple of strings, or ``None`` indicating the newlines translated so far. .. method:: read(n) Read and return at most *n* characters from the stream. If *n* is negative or ``None``, read to EOF. .. method:: readline() Read until newline or EOF and return. If the stream is already at EOF, an empty stream is returned. .. method:: truncate([pos]) Truncate size to *pos*. If *pos* is not specified, it is assumed to be the current position, as returned by :meth:`tell`. .. method:: write(s) Write string *s* to the stream and return the number of characters written. .. class:: TextIOWrapper(buffer[, encoding[, errors[, newline[, line_buffering]]]]) A buffered text stream over a :class:`BufferedIOBase` raw stream, *buffer*. It inherits :class:`TextIOBase`. *encoding* gives the name of the encoding that the stream will be decoded or encoded with. It defaults to :func:`locale.getpreferredencoding`. *errors* determines the strictness of encoding and decoding (see the errors argument of :func:`codecs.open`) and defaults to "strict". *newline* can be ``None``, ``''``, ``'\n'``, ``'\r'``, or ``'\r\n'``. It controls the handling of line endings. If it is ``None``, universal newlines is enabled. With this enabled, on input, the lines endings ``'\n'``, ``'\r'``, or ``'\r\n'`` are translated to ``'\n'`` before being returned to the caller. Conversely, on output, ``'\n'`` is translated to the system default line seperator, :data:`os.linesep`. If *newline* is any other of its legal values, that newline becomes the newline when the file is read and it is returned untranslated. On output, ``'\n'`` is converted to the *newline*. If *line_buffering* is ``True``, :meth:`flush` is implied when a call to write contains a newline character. :class:`TextIOWrapper` provides these methods in addition to those of :class:`TextIOBase` and its parents: .. attribute:: errors The encoding and decoding error setting. .. attribute:: line_buffering Whether line buffering is enabled. .. class:: StringIO([initial_value, [encoding, [errors, [newline]]]]) An in-memory stream for text. It in inherits :class:`TextIOWrapper`. Create a new StringIO stream with an inital value, encoding, error handling, and newline setting. See :class:`TextIOWrapper`'s constructor for more information. :class:`StringIO` provides these methods in addition to those from :class:`TextIOWrapper` and its parents: .. method:: getvalue() Return a str representation of the contents of the internal buffer. .. class:: IncrementalNewlineDecoder A helper codec that decodes newlines. It inherits :class:`codecs.IncrementalDecoder`.