John, Thanks that did help. Like usual, I was making it harder than necessary.
Tom, I concur! Well put! On 5/24/05, Tom Cloyd <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I just want to take a moment to express my deep appreciation for this > List. As one who is learning Python as amateur, in my spare moments, and > already getting it to do good work for me, these clear, beautifully worked > descriptions of basic aspects of Python are simply an ongoing delight for > me - and singularly useful to my study of Python. To those of you who give > your time, thought, and experience here to those of us who need it, thank > you so very much. > > Tom Cloyd > > On Tue, 24 May 2005 16:32:50 -0700, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Quoting Tom Tucker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > >> I am having trouble understanding the c|Pickle modules. What does > >> serializing and de-serializing objects mean? I have read the below > >> urls and I "think" I understand the process, but I can't visualize the > >> beneifts. Can someone kindly explain pickling in lamens terms? > > > > It's actually astonishingly simple, once you get the hang of it. > > > > example: > > > >>>> arr = [1, 3, 5, 7] > >>>> dct = {'foo':1, 'bar':2, 'baz':3} > >>>> st = "re: your mail" > >>>> > >>>> import pickle > >>>> f = file('dump', 'wb') > >>>> pickle.dump((arr, dct, st), f) > >>>> f.close() > >>>> ^Z > > > > [new instance of python] > > > >>>> import pickle > >>>> f = file('dump', 'r') > >>>> res = pickle.load(f) > >>>> res > > ([1, 3, 5, 7], {'bar': 2, 'foo': 1, 'baz': 3}, 're: your mail') > > > > [and you can look at the file 'dump' on your HDD, if you want to] > > > > Basically, pickle allows you to write any python object to disk and the > > load it > > back again with very little effort. This is important if you want your > > program > > to be able to save state between instances. > > > > You can pickle more complex objects; the only restriction is that > > pickle.load > > must be able to find the module where the classes are defined. > > > > [there are some other restrictions, but you can do a lot without > > worrying about > > them] > > > > Does this help? > > > > > > -- > > ====================================================== > Tom Cloyd > Bellingham, Washington, U.S.A: (360) 920-1226 > << BestMindHealth.com >> > ====================================================== > > Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client (program): > http://www.opera.com/mail/ > > _______________________________________________ > Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org > http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor > _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor