Python Pocket Reference, 3rd Edition

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Python Pocket Reference

pipe()

See the section “Process Control,” later in this book.

read(fd, n)

Reads at most n bytes from file descriptor fd and returns

those bytes as a string.

write(fd, str)

Writes all bytes in string str to file descriptor fd.

fpathconf(fd, infoname)

fstatvfs(fd)

ttyname(fd)

openpty()

Consult the Python Library Reference or Unix manpages

for details.

File Pathname Tools

The following functions process files by their pathnames

(

path is a string pathname of a file). See also the section “The

os.path Module,” later in this book.

chdir(path)

getcwd()

See the section “Environment Tools,” earlier in this

book.

chmod(path, mode)

Changes mode of file path to numeric mode.

chown(path, uid, gid)

Changes owner/group IDs of path to numeric uid/gid.

Table 18. Or-able flags for os.open

O_APPEND O_EXCL O_RDONLY O_TRUNC

O_BINARY O_NDELAY O_RDWR O_WRONLY

O_CREAT O_NOCTTY O_RSYNC

O_DSYNC O_NONBLOCK O_SYNC

The os System Module

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link(srcpath, dstpath)

Creates a hard link to file src, named dst.

listdir(path)

Returns a list of names of all the entries in the directory

path. A fast and portable alternative to the glob module

and to running shell listing commands with

os.popen.

lstat(path)

Like stat, but does not follow symbolic links.

mkfifo(path [, mode])

Creates a FIFO (a named pipe) identified by string path ...