scanf in python

[AMD]

Thanks Fredrik,

very nice examples.

André
> AMD wrote:
> 
>>> For reading delimited fields in Python, you can use .split string 
>>> method.
> 
>> Yes, that is what I use right now, but I still have to do the 
>> conversion to integers, floats, dates as several separate steps. What 
>> is nice about the scanf function is that it is all done on the same 
>> step. Exactly like when you use % to format a string and you pass it a 
>> dictionary, it does all the conversions to string for you.
> 
> You're confusing surface syntax with processing steps.  If you want to 
> do things on one line, just add a suitable helper to take care of the 
> processing.  E.g. for whitespace-separated data:
> 
>  >>> def scan(s, *types):
> ...     return tuple(f(v) for (f, v) in zip(types, s.split()))
> ...
>  >>> scan("1 2 3", int, int, float)
> (1, 2, 3.0)
> 
> This has the additional advantage that it works with any data type that 
> provides a way to convert from string to that type, not just a small 
> number of built-in types.  And you can even pass in your own local 
> helper, of course:
> 
>  >>> def myfactory(n):
> ...     return int(n) * "!"
> ...
>  >>> scan("1 2 3", int, float, myfactory)
> (1, 2.0, '!!!')
> 
> If you're reading multiple columns of the same type, you might as well 
> inline the whole thing:
> 
>     data = map(int, line.split())
> 
> For other formats, replace the split with slicing or a regexp.  Or use a 
> ready-made module; there's hardly every any reason to read standard CSV 
> files by hand when you can just do "import csv", for example.
> 
> Also note that function *creation* is relatively cheap in Python, and 
> since "def" is an executable statement, you can create them pretty much 
> anywhere; if you find that need a helper somewhere in your code, just 
> put it there.  The following is a perfectly valid pattern:
> 
>     def myfunc(...):
> 
>         def myhelper(...):
>             ...
> 
>         myhelper(...)
>         myhelper(...)
> 
>         for line in open(file):
>             myhelper(...)
> 
> (I'd say knowing when and how to abstract things away into a local 
> helper is an important step towards full Python fluency -- that is, the 
> point where you're able to pack "a lot of action in a small amount of 
> clear code" most of the time.)
> 
> </F>
>