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(python2.1-lib.info)cPickle

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Alternate implementation of `pickle'
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Faster version of `pickle', but not subclassable.  This module was
written by Jim Fulton <jfulton@digicool.com>.
This manual section was written by Fred L. Drake, Jr. <fdrake@acm.org>.
The `cPickle' module provides a similar interface and identical
functionality as the `pickle'  module, but can be up to 1000 times
faster since it is implemented in C.  The only other important
difference to note is that `Pickler()' and `Unpickler()' are functions
and not classes, and so cannot be subclassed.  This should not be an
issue in most cases.

The format of the pickle data is identical to that produced using the
`pickle' module, so it is possible to use `pickle' and `cPickle'
interchangeably with existing pickles.

(Since the pickle data format is actually a tiny stack-oriented
programming language, and there are some freedoms in the encodings of
certain objects, it's possible that the two modules produce different
pickled data for the same input objects; however they will always be
able to read each other's pickles back in.)