148 lines
5.6 KiB
TeX
148 lines
5.6 KiB
TeX
% Documentation by ESR
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\section{Standard Module \module{multifile}}
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\stmodindex{multiFile}
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\label{module-multifile}
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The \code{MultiFile} object enables you to treat sections of a text
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file as file-like input objects, with EOF being returned by
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\code{readline} when a given delimiter pattern is encountered. The
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defaults of this class are designed to make it useful for parsing
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MIME multipart messages, but by subclassing it and overriding methods
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it can be easily adapted for more general use.
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\begin{classdesc}{MultiFile}{fp[, seekable=1]}
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Create a multi-file. You must instantiate this class with an input
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object argument for MultiFile to get lines from, such as as a file
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object returned by \code{open}.
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MultiFile only ever looks at the input object's \code{readline},
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\code{seek} and \code{tell} methods, and the latter two are only
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needed if you want to random-access the multifile sections. To use
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MultiFile on a non-seekable stream object, set the optional seekable
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argument to 0; this will avoid using the input object's \code{seek}
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and \code{tell} at all.
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\end{classdesc}
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It will be useful to know that in MultiFile's view of the world, text
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is composed of three kinds of lines: data, section-dividers, and
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end-markers. MultiFile is designed to support parsing of
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messages that may have multiple nested message parts, each with its
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own pattern for section-divider and end-marker lines.
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\subsection{MultiFile Objects}
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\label{MultiFile-objects}
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A \class{MultiFile} instance has the following methods:
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\begin{methoddesc}{push}{str}
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Push a boundary string. When an appropriately decorated version of
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this boundary is found as an input line, it will be interpreted as a
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section-divider or end-marker and passed back as EOF. All subsequent
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reads will also be passed back as EOF, until a \method{pop} removes
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the boundary a or \method{next} call reenables it.
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It is possible to push more than one boundary. Encountering the
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most-recently-pushed boundary will return EOF; encountering any other
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boundary will raise an error.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{readline}{str}
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Read a line. If the line is data (not a section-divider or end-marker
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or real EOF) return it. If the line matches the most-recently-stacked
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boundary, return EOF and set \code{self.last} to 1 or 0 according as
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the match is or is not an end-marker. If the line matches any other
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stacked boundary, raise an error. If the line is a real EOF, raise an
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error unless all boundaries have been popped.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{readlines}{str}
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Read all lines, up to the next section. Return them as a list of strings
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{read}{str}
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Read all lines, up to the next section. Return them as a single
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(multiline) string. Note that this doesn't take a size argument!
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{next}{str}
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Skip lines to the next section (that is, read lines until a
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section-divider or end-marker has been consumed). Return 1 if there
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is such a section, 0 if an end-marker is seen. Re-enable the
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most-recently-pushed boundary.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{pop}{str}
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Pop a section boundary. This boundary will no longer be interpreted as EOF.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{seek}{str, pos, whence=0}
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Seek. Seek indices are relative to the start of the current section.
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The pos and whence arguments are interpreted as for a file seek.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{next}{str}
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Tell. Tell indices are relative to the start of the current section.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{is_data}{str}
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Return true if a 1 is certainly data and 0 if it might be a section
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boundary. As written, it tests for a prefix other than '--' at start of
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line (which all MIME boundaries have) but it is declared so it can be
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overridden in derived classes.
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Note that this test is used intended as a fast guard for the real
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boundary tests; if it always returns 0 it will merely slow processing,
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not cause it to fail.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{section_divider}{str}
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Turn a boundary into a section-divider line. By default, this
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method prepends '--' (which MIME section boundaries have) but it is
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declared so it can be overridden in derived classes. This method
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need not append LF or CR-LF, as comparison with the result ignores
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trailing whitespace.
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\end{methoddesc}
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\begin{methoddesc}{end_marker}{str}
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Turn a boundary string into an end-marker line. By default, this
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method prepends '--' and appends '--' (like a MIME-multipart
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end-of-message marker) but it is declared so it can be be overridden
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in derived classes. This method need not append LF or CR-LF, as
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comparison with the result ignores trailing whitespace.
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\end{methoddesc}
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Finally, \class{MultiFile} instances have two public instance variables:
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\begin{memberdesc}{level}
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\end{memberdesc}
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\begin{memberdesc}{last}
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1 if the last EOF passed back was for an end-of-message marker, 0 otherwise.
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\end{memberdesc}
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Example:
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\begin{verbatim}
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fp = MultiFile(sys.stdin, 0)
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fp.push(outer_boundary)
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message1 = fp.readlines()
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# We should now be either at real EOF or stopped on a message
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# boundary. Re-enable the outer boundary.
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fp.next()
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# Read another message with the same delimiter
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message2 = fp.readlines()
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# Re-enable that delimiter again
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fp.next()
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# Now look for a message subpart with a different boundary
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fp.push(inner_boundary)
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sub_header = fp.readlines()
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# If no exception has been thrown, we're looking at the start of
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# the message subpart. Reset and grab the subpart
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fp.next()
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sub_body = fp.readlines()
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# Got it. Now pop the inner boundary to re-enable the outer one.
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fp.pop()
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# Read to next outer boundary
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message3 = fp.readlines()
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\end{verbatim}
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