File Operations, Pickle &

Dictionary
Computer Science & Engineering Department
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 1

Content
• input and eval
• File operations
• Pickle
• Dictionary

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 2

Input
• We use input() to read input from user
input([prompt]) []: optional
• >>> num = input(“Enter a number: ”)
Enter a number: 36
>>> num
‘36’

• All input are in the form of strings

• We can use string methods to parse the content eg. split()
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 3
Split()
>>> s1 ="學霸 學霸 學霸"
>>> s1
'學霸 學霸 學霸'
>>> s1.split()
['學霸', '學霸', '學霸']

Note : Python 2 require use of Unicode string to store non-ASCII strings

whereas Python 3 got only one string type str which default to Unicode

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 4

Input
• We can then use int() or float() to convert into preferred
form

>>>int(‘36’)
36
>>>float(‘36’)
36.0

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 5

What will be the result?
• int(‘12 int’)
• Error!
• int(’12.34’)
• Error
• int(‘12 ‘)
• 12
• int(‘1010’, 2)
• 10 int( x, base=10)
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 6
Input
• We can use eval() to convert also

>>>eval(‘36’)
36
>>>eval(‘2+3*6’)
20

• Provided the string contains valid expression

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 7

What will be the result?
• X=3
eval(‘2 * X’)
•6
• eval(‘ 2 and 3’)
•3
• eval(‘ 2 or 3’)
•2

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 8

File
• Persistent storage even after program ends
• Represented in Python as type file (object)
• Typical file processing involves:
1. File open
2. Read/write operations
3. File close

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 9

File
• In previous intro prog course, we learnt that file is usually
opened with access mode
file_handle = open( filename, mode)
• Typical mode:
1. “r” read
2. “w” write, create new file if not exists
3. “a” append to current file
4. “r+” read write access
5. “rb” if the file is binary , not text file
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 10
File methods
f = open(“filename”) open a file, return file value
f = open(“filename”, encoding) open a file with encoding
f.read() return a single character value
f.read(n) return no more than n character values
f.readline() return the next line of input
f.readlines() return all the file content as a list
f.write(s) write string s to file
f.writelines(lst) write list lst to file
f.close() close file

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 11

File
• readline return the next line of text, including a newline (return)
character at the end
• Returns empty string when file empty

• Using for statement can also have the same result

>>> f = open(‘message.txt‘)
>>> for line in f:
... print (line)

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 12

Recovering from Exceptions
• File I/O operations can generate exceptions, an IOError
• Exception handling can prevent these errors

try:
f = open('input.txt')
except IOError as e:
print ('unable to open the file with error: "{}"'.format(e.args[-1]))
else:
print ('continue with processing')
f.close()
print ('continue')
>>> unable to open the file with error: "No such file or directory"
continue
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 13
Handling files
• A better way is using with
• Ensure file is closed when the block inside with is exited

with open('hello.txt', 'w', encoding='utf-8') as outf:

# perform file operation
outf.write("Hello world")

print ('continue with processing‘)

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 14

Operating System Command
• Useful OS command can be executed from python by including os module

>>> import os
>>> os.remove("gone.txt") # removing file

>>> os.curdir # get current directory

'.‘
>>> os.rename('oldfile.ext', 'newfile.ext')
>>>

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 15

Standard I/O
• print writes characters to a file normally attached to display
window
• Input functions read from a file attached to keyboard
• These files can be accessed through sys module
• Input file : sys.stdin, output file: sys.stdout, error messages:
sys.stderr
• stderr normally goes also to stdout

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 16

Standard I/O
• Can change these settings through sys
import sys
sys.stdout = open('output.txt', 'w')
sys.stderr = open('error.txt', 'w')
print ("see where this goes“)
print (5/4)
print (7.0/0)
sys.stdout.close()
sys.stderr.close() In output.txt
see where this goes
1
In error.txt
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "try1.py", line 6, in <module>
print (7.0/0)
ZeroDivisionError: float division by zero

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 17

OS functions
• exit terminate a running Python program –
sys.exit(“message”)
• sys.argv is a list of command line options being passed

import sys
print ('argument of program are ', sys.argv)
>>>argument of program are
['D:/shor/COURSE/2040/lab/lab3/lab3.py']

If run directly in same folder

argument of program are [‘lab3.py']
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 18
Pickle
• Useful in saving and restoring Python variables as an archive
• Also called serialization

import pickle # import to use

stackOne = Stack() # assume we have a stack data strcuture
stackTwo = Stack()
stackOne.push( 12 )
stackTwo.push( 'abc' )
stackOne.push( 23 )
stackOne.pop()
f = open('pickle1.pyp','w') # store the variables in a file
pickle.dump([stackOne, stackTwo], f)

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 19

Pickle
• Later on in another program

>>> import pickle

>>> f = open('pickle1.pyp')
>>> [stackOne, stackTwo] = pickle.load(f)
>>> print stackOne.top()
12
>>> print stackTwo.top()
abc

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 20

Dictionaries
• Indexed data structure - uses also square bracket notation
• Any immutable type can be used as index
• Braces create dictionary

>>> dct = { } # create new dictionary

>>> dct['name'] = “Donald Duck”
>>> dct['age'] = 63
>>> dct['eyes'] = “black”

• Index is called a key (LHS)

• Element stored that associated with key is called a Value (RHS)
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 21
Dictionaries
• Also called maps, hashes or associative arrays
>>> print (dct['name'])
Donald Duck
>>> print dct.get('age')
63
>>> print (dct['weight'])
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<interactive input>", line 1, in <module>
KeyError: 'weight‘

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 22

Dictionaries
• Exception when no value with designated key
• Can be prevented by using built-in get method to check
>>> print (dct.get('weight', 0)) # 0 is default value
0 ntr kita return the default value
>>> dct['age'] = 21
>>> dct['age']
21

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 23

Dictionaries
• Del used to delete an element from list

>>> del dct['age']

>>> print (dct['age'])
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<interactive input>", line 1, in <module>
KeyError: 'age‘
>>>

• Can be initialized using colon ‘:’ separated tuple also

>>> info = {'name':'Batman', 'age':53, 'weight':200}
>>> print (info['name'])
Batman
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 24
Dictionaries
• Dictionary values have no restriction, can be any object
• But two important properties

1. No duplicate keys allowed

>>> d ict = {'Name': 'Zara', 'Age': 7, 'Name': 'Manni'}

>>> print "dict['Name']: ", dict['Name']
dict['Name']: Manni
>>> dict
{'Name': 'Manni', 'Age': 7} all the key will be over written

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 25

Dictionaries

2. Keys must be immutable i.e. lists not allowed

>>> dict = {['Name']: 'Zara', 'Age': 7}

Traceback (most recent call last):
dict = {['Name']: 'Zara', 'Age': 7};
TypeError: unhashable type: 'list'
>>>

CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 26

Dictionary operations
Operation Description
len(d) number of elements in d
d[k] item in d with key k
d[k]=v set item in d with key k to v
d.clear() remove all items from dictionary d
d.copy make a shallow copy of d
d.has_key(k) return 1 if d has key k, 0 otherwise
d.items() return a list of (key,value) pair
d.keys() return a list of keys in d
d.values return a list of values in d
d.get(k) same as d[k]
d.get(k,v) return d[k] if k is valid, otherwise return v
Return list in Python 2.7 or earlier,
but return view in 3.X or later
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 27
Views Instead Of Lists

• Dict methods return “views” instead of lists in 3.X

• views like a window on the keys and values (or items) of a dictionary

>>> dishes = {'eggs': 2, 'sausage': 1, 'bacon': 1, 'spam': 500}

>>> keys = dishes.keys()
>>> values = dishes.values()

>>> # view objects are dynamic and reflect dict changes

>>> del dishes['eggs']
>>> keys # No eggs anymore!
dict_keys(['sausage', 'bacon', 'spam'])
CSCI2040 INTRODUCTION TO PYTHON 28
Identifiers in Program
• Names of variables, functions, modules can collide with others – same
name used unintentionally (Python allows this)
• Managed using name spaces
• Encapsulation of names through levels of abstraction
• Three levels of encapsulation
• LEGB rule for simple variables
• Qualified names (explained in next chapter)
• modules (explained in next chapter)

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LEGB
• L: local
• E: Enclosing function definitions
• G: Global
• B: built-in functions
• When Python is looking for meaning attached to a name, it
search the scope in the order: Local, Enclosing, Global, Built-in
>>> x = 42
>>> def afun():
...
...
x = 12
print (x)
Only creating local var
>>> afun()
12
>>> print (x)
42 30
 Enclosing
• Occurs when one function is defined inside another
• Each function definition creates a new scope for variables at that level

>>> def a(x):

... def b(y):
... print (x + y)
... y = 11
... b(3)
... print (y)
...
>>> a(4)
7
11
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Scopes
• Described as a series of nested boxes
• To find a match for a given variable, the boxes are examined from
inside out until the name is found
• Lambda create their own local scope
• Thus distinct from surrounding function scope

>>> def a(x):

... f = lambda x: x + 3
... print (f(3))
... print (x)
...
>>> a(4)
6
4
32
Built-in functions
• Functions that are initially part of any Python program e.g. open, zip,
etc
• Can be overridden in a different scope
• For example, a programmer can define his/her own open.
• However it will prevent access to the standard function i.e. file open

33
dir function
• dir can be used to access a list of names in current scope
• Get global scope in topmost level

>>> z = 12
>>> def dirTest():
... x = 34
... print (dir())
>>> print (dir())
['__builtins__', '__doc__', '__name__', '__package__',
'dirTest', 'pywin', 'z']
>>> dirTest()
['x']

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dir function
• Can accept an argument
• Return scope of the object

>>> dir (dirtest)

['__call__', '__class__', '__closure__', '__code__', '__defaults__', '__delattr__',
'__dict__', '__doc__', '__format__', '__get__', '__getattribute__', '__globals__',
'__hash__', '__init__', '__module__', '__name__', '__new__', '__reduce__',
'__reduce_ex__', '__repr__', '__setattr__', '__sizeof__', '__str__', '__subclasshook__',
'func_closure', 'func_code', 'func_defaults', 'func_dict', 'func_doc', 'func_globals',
'func_name']
>>> import math
>>> dir(math)
['__doc__', '__name__', '__package__', 'acos', 'acosh', 'asin', 'asinh', 'atan', 'atan2',
'atanh', 'ceil', 'copysign', 'cos', 'cosh', 'degrees', 'e', 'exp', 'fabs', 'factorial', 'floor',
'fmod', 'frexp', 'fsum', 'hypot', 'isinf', 'isnan', 'ldexp', 'log', 'log10', 'log1p', 'modf', 'pi',
'pow', 'radians', 'sin', 'sinh', 'sqrt', 'tan', 'tanh', 'trunc']
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