Because of Python semantics, a shelf cannot know when a mutable
persistent-dictionary entry is modified. By default modified objects are
- written only when assigned to the shelf (see :ref:`shelve-example`). If the
- optional *writeback* parameter is set to *True*, all entries accessed are
- cached in memory, and written back on :meth:`sync` and :meth:`close`; this
- can make it handier to mutate mutable entries in the persistent dictionary,
- but, if many entries are accessed, it can consume vast amounts of memory for
- the cache, and it can make the close operation very slow since all accessed
- entries are written back (there is no way to determine which accessed entries
- are mutable, nor which ones were actually mutated).
+ written *only* when assigned to the shelf (see :ref:`shelve-example`). If the
+ optional *writeback* parameter is set to *True*, all entries accessed are also
+ cached in memory, and written back on :meth:`~Shelf.sync` and
+ :meth:`~Shelf.close`; this can make it handier to mutate mutable entries in
+ the persistent dictionary, but, if many entries are accessed, it can consume
+ vast amounts of memory for the cache, and it can make the close operation
+ very slow since all accessed entries are written back (there is no way to
+ determine which accessed entries are mutable, nor which ones were actually
+ mutated).
.. note::
self.assertEqual(len(d1), 1)
self.assertEqual(len(d2), 1)
+ def test_writeback_also_writes_immediately(self):
+ # Issue 5754
+ d = {}
+ s = shelve.Shelf(d, writeback=True)
+ s['key'] = [1]
+ p1 = d['key'] # Will give a KeyError if backing store not updated
+ s['key'].append(2)
+ s.close()
+ p2 = d['key']
+ self.assertNotEqual(p1, p2) # Write creates new object in store
+
from test import mapping_tests