
``dbhash`` --- DBM-style interface to the BSD database library
**************************************************************

Deprecated since version 2.6: The ``dbhash`` module has been
deprecated for removal in Python 3.0.

The ``dbhash`` module provides a function to open databases using the
BSD ``db`` library.  This module mirrors the interface of the other
Python database modules that provide access to DBM-style databases.
The ``bsddb`` module is required  to use ``dbhash``.

This module provides an exception and a function:

exception exception dbhash.error

   Exception raised on database errors other than ``KeyError``.  It is
   a synonym for ``bsddb.error``.

dbhash.open(path[, flag[, mode]])

   Open a ``db`` database and return the database object.  The *path*
   argument is the name of the database file.

   The *flag* argument can be:

   +-----------+---------------------------------------------+
   | Value     | Meaning                                     |
   +===========+=============================================+
   | ``'r'``   | Open existing database for reading only     |
   |           | (default)                                   |
   +-----------+---------------------------------------------+
   | ``'w'``   | Open existing database for reading and      |
   |           | writing                                     |
   +-----------+---------------------------------------------+
   | ``'c'``   | Open database for reading and writing,      |
   |           | creating it if it doesn't exist             |
   +-----------+---------------------------------------------+
   | ``'n'``   | Always create a new, empty database, open   |
   |           | for reading and writing                     |
   +-----------+---------------------------------------------+

   For platforms on which the BSD ``db`` library supports locking, an
   ``'l'`` can be appended to indicate that locking should be used.

   The optional *mode* parameter is used to indicate the Unix
   permission bits that should be set if a new database must be
   created; this will be masked by the current umask value for the
   process.

See also:

   Module ``anydbm``
      Generic interface to ``dbm``-style databases.

   Module ``bsddb``
      Lower-level interface to the BSD ``db`` library.

   Module ``whichdb``
      Utility module used to determine the type of an existing
      database.


Database Objects
================

The database objects returned by ``open()`` provide the methods
common to all the DBM-style databases and mapping objects.  The
following methods are available in addition to the standard methods.

dbhash.first()

   It's possible to loop over every key/value pair in the database
   using this method   and the ``next()`` method.  The traversal is
   ordered by the databases internal hash values, and won't be sorted
   by the key values.  This method returns the starting key.

dbhash.last()

   Return the last key/value pair in a database traversal.  This may
   be used to begin a reverse-order traversal; see ``previous()``.

dbhash.next()

   Returns the key next key/value pair in a database traversal.  The
   following code prints every key in the database ``db``, without
   having to create a list in memory that contains them all:

      print db.first()
      for i in xrange(1, len(db)):
          print db.next()

dbhash.previous()

   Returns the previous key/value pair in a forward-traversal of the
   database. In conjunction with ``last()``, this may be used to
   implement a reverse-order traversal.

dbhash.sync()

   This method forces any unwritten data to be written to the disk.
