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(python2.1-lib.info)anydbm

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Generic access to DBM-style databases
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Generic interface to DBM-style database modules.

`anydbm' is a generic interface to variants of the DBM database --
`dbhash'  (requires `bsddb' ), `gdbm' , or `dbm' .  If none of these
modules is installed, the slow-but-simple implementation in module
`dumbdbm'  will be used.

`open(filename[, flag[, mode]])'
     Open the database file FILENAME and return a corresponding object.

     If the database file already exists, the `whichdb' module is used
     to determine its type and the appropriate module is used; if it
     does not exist, the first module listed above that can be imported
     is used.

     The optional FLAG argument can be `'r'' to open an existing
     database for reading only, `'w'' to open an existing database for
     reading and writing, `'c'' to create the database if it doesn't
     exist, or `'n'', which will always create a new empty database.
     If not specified, the default value is `'r''.

     The optional MODE argument is the UNIX mode of the file, used only
     when the database has to be created.  It defaults to octal `0666'
     (and will be modified by the prevailing umask).

`error'
     A tuple containing the exceptions that can be raised by each of the
     supported modules, with a unique exception `anydbm.error' as the
     first item -- the latter is used when `anydbm.error' is raised.

The object returned by `open()' supports most of the same functionality
as dictionaries; keys and their corresponding values can be stored,
retrieved, and deleted, and the `has_key()' and `keys()' methods are
available.  Keys and values must always be strings.

See also:
     Note: anydbm Generic interface to `dbm'-style databases.  Note:
     dbhash BSD `db' database interface.  Note: dbm Standard UNIX
     database interface.  Note: dumbdbm Portable implementation of
     the `dbm' interface.  Note: gdbm GNU database interface, based
     on the `dbm' interface.  Note: shelve General object persistence
     built on top of  the Python `dbm' interface.  Note: whichdb
     Utility module used to determine the type of an existing database.