Am I doing this the python way? (list of lists + file io)

[R. David Murray]

Horace Blegg <tkjthingone at gmail.com> wrote:
> So, Example: I'll read in a CSV file (just one, for now.) and store it into
> a list. Sometime later, I'll get another CSV file, almost identical/related
> to the first. However, a few values might have changed, and there might be a
> few new lines (entries) or maybe a few less. I would want to compare the CSV
> file I have in my list (in memory) to new CSV file (which I would probably
> read into a temporary list). I would then want to track and log the
> differences between the two files. After I've figured out what's changed, I
> would either update the original CSV file with the new CSV's information, or
> completely discard the original and replace it with the new one (whichever
> involves less work). Basically, lots of iterating through each entry of each
> CSV file and comparing to other information (either hard coded or variable).
> 
> So, to reiterate, are lists what I want to use? Should I be using something
> else? (even if that 'something else' only really comes into play when
> storing and operating on LOTS of data, I would still love to hear about it!)

Given your description, I don't see any reason to prefer any alternate
data structure.  1000 small CSV files should fit in a modern computer's
memory with no problem...and if it does become an issue, worry about it
then.

One thought, though:  you might want to create a list subclass to hold
your data, so that you can put useful-to-you methods on the subclass...

--
R. David Murray                 http://www.bitdance.com
    IT Consulting    System Administration    Python Programming