Reading files into a 2D list.

[Oyvind Ostlund]

-----Original Message-----
From: python-list-bounces+oyvind.ostlund=cern.ch at python.org [mailto:python-list-bounces+oyvind.ostlund=cern.ch at python.org] On Behalf Of Klaus Alexander Seistrup
Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 12:14 PM
To: python-list at python.org
Subject: Re: Reading files into a 2D list.

Øyvind Østlund wrote:

> I have a list of about 20 files that I want to read line by line into 
> a 2D list. So the first dimension will be each file, and the second 
> every line in that file.
>
> I tried to do something like this:
>
>     files_and_lines = [][]
>     filenumber = 0
>     
>     for files in file_names:
>         try:
>             lexi_file = open(str(sys.path[0]) + "/lexi/" + files, "r")
>             files_and_lines[filenumber] = lexi_file.readlines()
>             filenumber = filenumber + 1
>
>         except(IOError):
>             print "Something went wrong trying to read the file:"
>             print "'" + str(sys.path[0]) + files + "'"

I'm not sure I understand you.  Do you wish to end up with an array like this:

#v+

    [fileName0][fileLines0]
    [fileName1][fileLines1]
      ...
    [fileNameN][fileLinesN]

#v-

In that case try something like:

#v+

>>> files_and_lines = []
>>> for name in file_names:
>>>     files_and_lines.append([name, open(name, 'r').readlines()]) 
>>> print 'Read %d files' % (len(files_and_lines),)

#v-

Add proper error checking.

At least, I think the [].append() method is what you're looking for.

Cheers,

--
Klaus Alexander Seistrup
Magnetic Ink, Copenhagen, Denmark
http://magnetic-ink.dk/
--
http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list


Thanks for the reply. But I might have been a bit clearer. 


What I want to do is to be able to write:

files_and_lines[5][5]

And then I am accessing the 6th line in the 6th file, so I can print that line if I want, or do what ever I want with it. So if I did this:

If files_and_lines[1][1] == files_and_lines[1][100]: 

Then I would check if those two lines had the same content. I tried your solution, and if I didn't do anything else wrong, I think you missunderstood me a bit, because if I try print files_and_lines[1][1] now, it prints whole lot more then just one line from file 2.


Thanks
ØØ