String find and replace

[hokieghal99]

import os, string
print " "
setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
def find_replace(se tpath):
for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
fname = files
for fname in files:
find = string.find(fil e(os.path.join( root,fname),
'rb').read(), 'THIS')
print find
if find >=1:
replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')
find_replace(se tpath)
print " "

Why doesn't this work? I get this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "html_find_repl ace.py", line 12, in ?
find_replace(se tpath)
File "html_find_repl ace.py", line 11, in find_replace
replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')
File "/usr/local/lib/python2.3/string.py", line 370, in replace
return s.replace(old, new, maxsplit)
TypeError: expected a character buffer object

[John Roth]

Re: String find and replace


"hokieghal9 9" <hokiegal99@hot mail.com> wrote in message
news:bigq2u$p23 $1@solaris.cc.v t.edu...[color=blue]
> import os, string
> print " "
> setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
> def find_replace(se tpath):
> for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
> fname = files
> for fname in files:
> find = string.find(fil e(os.path.join( root,fname),
> 'rb').read(), 'THIS')
> print find
> if find >=1:
> replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')
> find_replace(se tpath)
> print " "
>
> Why doesn't this work? I get this error:
>
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "html_find_repl ace.py", line 12, in ?
> find_replace(se tpath)
> File "html_find_repl ace.py", line 11, in find_replace
> replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')
> File "/usr/local/lib/python2.3/string.py", line 370, in replace
> return s.replace(old, new, maxsplit)
> TypeError: expected a character buffer object[/color]

what's "str" in line 11?

John Roth[color=blue]
>[/color]

[Gerhard Häring]

Re: String find and replace

hokieghal99 wrote:[color=blue]
> import os, string
> print " "
> setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
> def find_replace(se tpath):
> for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
> fname = files
> for fname in files:
> find = string.find(fil e(os.path.join( root,fname), 'rb').read(),
> 'THIS')
> print find
> if find >=1:
> replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')[/color]
^^^

In your app, what do you think 'str' is?

You haven't defined it, but it still exists. It's the string type, *not*
a particular string (cos you haven't defined it). That's why you get the
error below:
[color=blue]
> find_replace(se tpath)
> print " "
>
> Why doesn't this work? I get this error:
>
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "html_find_repl ace.py", line 12, in ?
> find_replace(se tpath)
> File "html_find_repl ace.py", line 11, in find_replace
> replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')
> File "/usr/local/lib/python2.3/string.py", line 370, in replace
> return s.replace(old, new, maxsplit)
> TypeError: expected a character buffer object[/color]

-- Gerhard

[hokiegal99]

Re: String find and replace

Thanks for the explanation, I can make it work this way:

import os, string
setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
fname = files
x = 'THIS'
y = 'THAT'
for fname in files:
myfile = file(os.path.jo in(root,fname), 'r')
mystr = myfile.read()
myfile.close()
search = string.find(mys tr, x)
if search >=1:
string.replace( mystr, x, y)
print "Replacing" , x, "with", y, "in", fname

If only I could actually make the change to the files! It works in
theory, but not in practice ;) Anyone recommend how to actual write the
change to the file? I'm new to this, so be kind.

Thanks Everyone!!!



Geoff Gerrietts wrote:[color=blue]
> Quoting hokieghal99 (hokiegal99@hot mail.com):
>[color=green]
>>import os, string
>>print " "
>>setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
>>def find_replace(se tpath):
>> for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
>> fname = files
>> for fname in files:
>> find = string.find(fil e(os.path.join( root,fname), 'rb').read(), 'THIS')[/color]
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> this string is never bound to a name
> (ie, you never assign str=file(...).r ead())
>[color=green]
>> print find
>> if find >=1:
>> replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')[/color]
>
> ^^^
> this name is currently bound to
> the builtin function str()
>
>[color=green]
>>find_replace( setpath)
>>print " "[/color]
>
>
>
> You might consider the fragment below, instead. It's a couple lines
> longer, but safer (your .close() happens exactly when you want it to)
> and probably more readable.
>
> for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
> fname = files
> for fname in files:
> myfile = file(os.path.jo in(root,fname), 'rb')
> mystr = myfile.read()
> myfile.close()
> find = string.find(mys tr, 'THIS')
> print find
> if find >=1:
> replace = string.replace( mystr, 'THIS', 'THAT')
>
>
> Luck,
> --G.
>[/color]

[John Roth]

Re: String find and replace


"hokiegal99 " <hokiegal99@vt. edu> wrote in message
news:3F4C04F8.5 070401@vt.edu.. .[color=blue]
> Thanks for the explanation, I can make it work this way:
>
> import os, string
> setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
> for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
> fname = files
> x = 'THIS'
> y = 'THAT'
> for fname in files:
> myfile = file(os.path.jo in(root,fname), 'r')
> mystr = myfile.read()
> myfile.close()
> search = string.find(mys tr, x)
> if search >=1:
> string.replace( mystr, x, y)
> print "Replacing" , x, "with", y, "in", fname
>
> If only I could actually make the change to the files! It works in
> theory, but not in practice ;) Anyone recommend how to actual write the
> change to the file? I'm new to this, so be kind.[/color]

Are you trying to rename the file? Look under os - Files and Directories
for the rename() function. It's 6.1.4 in the 2.2.3 docs.

John Roth[color=blue]
>
> Thanks Everyone!!!
>
>
>
> Geoff Gerrietts wrote:[color=green]
> > Quoting hokieghal99 (hokiegal99@hot mail.com):
> >[color=darkred]
> >>import os, string
> >>print " "
> >>setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
> >>def find_replace(se tpath):
> >> for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
> >> fname = files
> >> for fname in files:
> >> find = string.find(fil e(os.path.join( root,fname), 'rb').read(),[/color][/color][/color]
'THIS')[color=blue][color=green]
> >
> >[/color][/color]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^[color=blue][color=green]
> > this string is never bound to a name
> > (ie, you never assign[/color][/color]
str=file(...).r ead())[color=blue][color=green]
> >[color=darkred]
> >> print find
> >> if find >=1:
> >> replace = string.replace( str, 'THIS', 'THAT')[/color]
> >
> > ^^^
> > this name is currently bound to
> > the builtin function str()
> >
> >[color=darkred]
> >>find_replace( setpath)
> >>print " "[/color]
> >
> >
> >
> > You might consider the fragment below, instead. It's a couple lines
> > longer, but safer (your .close() happens exactly when you want it to)
> > and probably more readable.
> >
> > for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
> > fname = files
> > for fname in files:
> > myfile = file(os.path.jo in(root,fname), 'rb')
> > mystr = myfile.read()
> > myfile.close()
> > find = string.find(mys tr, 'THIS')
> > print find
> > if find >=1:
> > replace = string.replace( mystr, 'THIS', 'THAT')
> >
> >
> > Luck,
> > --G.
> >[/color]
>
>[/color]

[hokiegal99]

Re: String find and replace

John Roth wrote:[color=blue]
> Are you trying to rename the file? Look under os - Files and Directories
> for the rename() function. It's 6.1.4 in the 2.2.3 docs.
>
> John Roth[/color]

No, I'm trying to find 'this' in files and replace it with 'that'
recursively through a directory. It works, but it doesn't actually
commit the change to the files, it finds 'this' and reports that it
replaced it with 'that', but when I run the scipt again it reports the
same files that it just fixed.

[John Roth]

Re: String find and replace


"hokiegal99 " <hokiegal99@hot mail.com> wrote in message
news:3F4C0CC4.2 0400@hotmail.co m...[color=blue]
> John Roth wrote:[color=green]
> > Are you trying to rename the file? Look under os - Files and Directories
> > for the rename() function. It's 6.1.4 in the 2.2.3 docs.
> >
> > John Roth[/color]
>
> No, I'm trying to find 'this' in files and replace it with 'that'
> recursively through a directory. It works, but it doesn't actually
> commit the change to the files, it finds 'this' and reports that it
> replaced it with 'that', but when I run the scipt again it reports the
> same files that it just fixed.[/color]

Oh. You need to open it again for write and write the
changed string back out. The string doesn't have any
persistant connection to the file.

John Roth[color=blue]
>[/color]

[Erik Max Francis]

Re: String find and replace

hokiegal99 wrote:
[color=blue]
> I hate to answer my own post, but I think I understand what I'm doing
> wrong. I'm finding and replacing 'this' with 'that' in the varible
> named
> mystr, not the actual files. So, how would I go about making the
> change
> to the actual files instead of a variable that contains their content?[/color]

Easy:

inputFile = file(filename, 'r')
data = inputFile.read( )
inputFile.close ()
data = data.replace(th is, that)
outputFile = file(filename, 'w')
outputFile.writ e(data)
outputFile.clos e()

--
Erik Max Francis && max@alcyone.com && http://www.alcyone.com/max/
__ San Jose, CA, USA && 37 20 N 121 53 W && &tSftDotIotE
/ \ There never was a good war or a bad peace.
\__/ Benjamin Franklin

[hokiegal99]

Re: String find and replace

Easy for you maybe ;)

That works great. I learn something each time I post to the list. With a
community like this, Python will be around forever!!! Thanks for the help.

Erik Max Francis wrote:[color=blue]
> hokiegal99 wrote:
>
>[color=green]
>>I hate to answer my own post, but I think I understand what I'm doing
>>wrong. I'm finding and replacing 'this' with 'that' in the varible
>>named
>>mystr, not the actual files. So, how would I go about making the
>>change
>>to the actual files instead of a variable that contains their content?[/color]
>
>
> Easy:
>
> inputFile = file(filename, 'r')
> data = inputFile.read( )
> inputFile.close ()
> data = data.replace(th is, that)
> outputFile = file(filename, 'w')
> outputFile.writ e(data)
> outputFile.clos e()[/color]

[Thomas Güttler]

Re: String find and replace

hokiegal99 wrote:
[color=blue]
> Thanks for the explanation, I can make it work this way:
>
> import os, string
> setpath = raw_input("Ente r the path: ")
> for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
> fname = files
> x = 'THIS'
> y = 'THAT'
> for fname in files:
> myfile = file(os.path.jo in(root,fname), 'r')
> mystr = myfile.read()
> myfile.close()
> search = string.find(mys tr, x)
> if search >=1:
> string.replace( mystr, x, y)
> print "Replacing" , x, "with", y, "in", fname
>
> If only I could actually make the change to the files! It works in
> theory, but not in practice ;) Anyone recommend how to actual write the
> change to the file? I'm new to this, so be kind.[/color]

I once wrote a replace recursive script. Maybe it helps you:

http://www.thomas-guettler.de/scripts/replace-recursive.py.txt

thomas

[hokiegal99]

Re: String find and replace

Thomas Güttler wrote:[color=blue]
> I once wrote a replace recursive script. Maybe it helps you:
> http://www.thomas-guettler.de/script...cursive.py.txt
>
> thomas[/color]

Yes that's very helpful, but a bit too complex for me at this point in
time. Here is the script that I put together from all of the responses I
recieved from the list:

#Thanks to comp.lang.pytho n
import os, string
print " "
print "************** *************** *************** **********"
print " Three Easy Steps to a Recursive find and Replace "
print "************** *************** *************** **********"
print " "
x = raw_input("1. Enter the string that you'd like to find: ")
print " "
y = raw_input("2. What would you like to replace %s with: " %x)
print " "
setpath = raw_input("3. Enter the path where the prgroam should run: ")
print " "
for root, dirs, files in os.walk(setpath ):
fname = files
for fname in files:
inputFile = file(os.path.jo in(root,fname), 'r')
data = inputFile.read( )
inputFile.close ()
search = string.find(dat a, x)
if search >=1:
data = data.replace(x, y)
outputFile = file(os.path.jo in(root,fname), 'w')
outputFile.writ e(data)
outputFile.clos e()
print "Replacing" , x, "with", y, "in", fname
print " "
print "********** "
print " Done "
print "********** "
print " "