:synopsis: Interfaces to various Unix "database" formats.
:mod:`dbm` is a generic interface to variants of the DBM database ---
- :mod:`dbm.gnu` or :mod:`dbm.ndbm`. If none of these modules is installed, the
- slow-but-simple implementation in module :mod:`dbm.dumb` will be used. There
- is a `third party interface <http://www.jcea.es/programacion/pybsddb.htm>`_ to
- the Oracle Berkely DB.
+:mod:`dbm.gnu` or :mod:`dbm.ndbm`. If none of these modules is installed, the
+slow-but-simple implementation in module :mod:`dbm.dumb` will be used. There
+is a `third party interface <http://www.jcea.es/programacion/pybsddb.htm>`_ to
+the Oracle Berkely DB.
.. exception:: error
.. function:: whichdb(filename)
This functionattempts to guess which of the several simple database modules
- available --- :mod:`dbm.bsd`, :mod:`dbm.gnu`, :mod:`dbm.ndbm` or
- :mod:`dbm.dumb` --- should be used to open a given file.
+ available --- :mod:`dbm.gnu`, :mod:`dbm.ndbm` or :mod:`dbm.dumb` --- should
+ be used to open a given file.
Returns one of the following values: ``None`` if the file can't be opened
because it's unreadable or doesn't exist; the empty string (``''``) if the
always stored as bytes. Printing a ``dbm`` object doesn't print the keys and
values, and the :meth:`items` and :meth:`values` methods are not supported.
-This module can be used with the "classic" ndbm interface, the BSD DB
-compatibility interface, or the GNU GDBM compatibility interface. On Unix, the
-:program:`configure` script will attempt to locate the appropriate header file
-to simplify building this module.
+This module can be used with the "classic" ndbm interface or the GNU GDBM
+compatibility interface. On Unix, the :program:`configure` script will attempt
+to locate the appropriate header file to simplify building this module.
.. exception:: error
.. function:: open(filename[, flag[, mode]])
Open a dbm database and return a ``dbm`` object. The *filename* argument is the
- name of the database file (without the :file:`.dir` or :file:`.pag` extensions;
- note that the BSD DB implementation of the interface will append the extension
- :file:`.db` and only create one file).
+ name of the database file (without the :file:`.dir` or :file:`.pag` extensions).
The optional *flag* argument must be one of these values: