<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC
"-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<link rel=
"STYLESHEET" href=
"lib.css" type='text/css'
/>
<link rel=
"SHORTCUT ICON" href=
"../icons/pyfav.png" type=
"image/png" />
<link rel='start' href='../index.html' title='Python Documentation Index'
/>
<link rel=
"first" href=
"lib.html" title='Python Library Reference'
/>
<link rel='contents' href='contents.html'
title=
"Contents" />
<link rel='index' href='genindex.html' title='Index'
/>
<link rel='last' href='about.html' title='About this document...'
/>
<link rel='help' href='about.html' title='About this document...'
/>
<link rel=
"next" href=
"module-cStringIO.html" />
<link rel=
"prev" href=
"module-fpformat.html" />
<link rel=
"parent" href=
"strings.html" />
<link rel=
"next" href=
"module-cStringIO.html" />
<meta name='aesop' content='information'
/>
<title>4.6 StringIO -- Read and write strings as files
</title>
<div id='top-navigation-panel' xml:id='top-navigation-panel'
>
<table align=
"center" width=
"100%" cellpadding=
"0" cellspacing=
"2">
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"prev" title=
"4.5 fpformat "
href=
"module-fpformat.html"><img src='../icons/previous.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Previous Page' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"parent" title=
"4. String Services"
href=
"strings.html"><img src='../icons/up.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Up One Level' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"next" title=
"4.7 cStringIO "
href=
"module-cStringIO.html"><img src='../icons/next.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Next Page' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td align=
"center" width=
"100%">Python Library Reference
</td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"contents" title=
"Table of Contents"
href=
"contents.html"><img src='../icons/contents.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Contents' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a href=
"modindex.html" title=
"Module Index"><img src='../icons/modules.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Module Index' width='
32'
/></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"index" title=
"Index"
href=
"genindex.html"><img src='../icons/index.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Index' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<div class='online-navigation'
>
<b class=
"navlabel">Previous:
</b>
<a class=
"sectref" rel=
"prev" href=
"module-fpformat.html">4.5 fpformat
</A>
<b class=
"navlabel">Up:
</b>
<a class=
"sectref" rel=
"parent" href=
"strings.html">4. String Services
</A>
<b class=
"navlabel">Next:
</b>
<a class=
"sectref" rel=
"next" href=
"module-cStringIO.html">4.7 cStringIO
</A>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
<H1><A NAME=
"SECTION006600000000000000000">
4.6 <tt class=
"module">StringIO
</tt> --
Read and write strings as files
</A>
<A NAME=
"module-StringIO"></A>
This module implements a file-like class,
<tt class=
"class">StringIO
</tt>,
that reads and writes a string buffer (also known as
<em>memory
files
</em>). See the description of file objects for operations (section
<A href=
"bltin-file-objects.html#bltin-file-objects">2.3.9</A>).
<dl><dt><table cellpadding=
"0" cellspacing=
"0"><tr valign=
"baseline">
<td><nobr><b><span class=
"typelabel">class
</span> <tt id='l2h-
954' xml:id='l2h-
954'
class=
"class">StringIO
</tt></b>(
</nobr></td>
<td><var></var><big>[
</big><var>buffer
</var><big>]
</big><var></var>)
</td></tr></table></dt>
When a
<tt class=
"class">StringIO
</tt> object is created, it can be initialized
to an existing string by passing the string to the constructor.
If no string is given, the
<tt class=
"class">StringIO
</tt> will start empty.
In both cases, the initial file position starts at zero.
The
<tt class=
"class">StringIO
</tt> object can accept either Unicode or
8-bit
strings, but mixing the two may take some care. If both are used,
8-bit strings that cannot be interpreted as
7-bit ASCII (that
use the
8th bit) will cause a
<tt class=
"exception">UnicodeError
</tt> to be raised
when
<tt class=
"method">getvalue()
</tt> is called.
The following methods of
<tt class=
"class">StringIO
</tt> objects require special
<dl><dt><table cellpadding=
"0" cellspacing=
"0"><tr valign=
"baseline">
<td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-
955' xml:id='l2h-
955'
class=
"method">getvalue
</tt></b>(
</nobr></td>
<td><var></var>)
</td></tr></table></dt>
Retrieve the entire contents of the ``file'' at any time before the
<tt class=
"class">StringIO
</tt> object's
<tt class=
"method">close()
</tt> method is called. See the
note above for information about mixing Unicode and
8-bit strings;
such mixing can cause this method to raise
<tt class=
"exception">UnicodeError
</tt>.
<dl><dt><table cellpadding=
"0" cellspacing=
"0"><tr valign=
"baseline">
<td><nobr><b><tt id='l2h-
956' xml:id='l2h-
956'
class=
"method">close
</tt></b>(
</nobr></td>
<td><var></var>)
</td></tr></table></dt>
<div class='online-navigation'
>
<table align=
"center" width=
"100%" cellpadding=
"0" cellspacing=
"2">
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"prev" title=
"4.5 fpformat "
href=
"module-fpformat.html"><img src='../icons/previous.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Previous Page' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"parent" title=
"4. String Services"
href=
"strings.html"><img src='../icons/up.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Up One Level' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"next" title=
"4.7 cStringIO "
href=
"module-cStringIO.html"><img src='../icons/next.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Next Page' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td align=
"center" width=
"100%">Python Library Reference
</td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"contents" title=
"Table of Contents"
href=
"contents.html"><img src='../icons/contents.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Contents' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a href=
"modindex.html" title=
"Module Index"><img src='../icons/modules.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Module Index' width='
32'
/></a></td>
<td class='online-navigation'
><a rel=
"index" title=
"Index"
href=
"genindex.html"><img src='../icons/index.png'
border='
0' height='
32' alt='Index' width='
32'
/></A></td>
<div class='online-navigation'
>
<b class=
"navlabel">Previous:
</b>
<a class=
"sectref" rel=
"prev" href=
"module-fpformat.html">4.5 fpformat
</A>
<b class=
"navlabel">Up:
</b>
<a class=
"sectref" rel=
"parent" href=
"strings.html">4. String Services
</A>
<b class=
"navlabel">Next:
</b>
<a class=
"sectref" rel=
"next" href=
"module-cStringIO.html">4.7 cStringIO
</A>
<span class=
"release-info">Release
2.4.2, documentation updated on
28 September
2005.
</span>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
See
<i><a href=
"about.html">About this document...
</a></i> for information on suggesting changes.