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DBM-style interface to the BSD database library</TITLE>
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DBM-style interface to the BSD database library">
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<H1><A NAME="SECTION009900000000000000000">
7.9 <tt class=module>dbhash</tt> --
         DBM-style interface to the BSD database library</A>
</H1>

<P>
  
<p class=availability>Availability: <span
 class=platform>Unix, Windows</span>.</p>

<P>
The <tt class=module>dbhash</tt> module provides a function to open databases using
the BSD <tt>db</tt> library.  This module mirrors the interface of the
other Python database modules that provide access to DBM-style
databases.  The <tt class=module><a href="module-bsddb.html">bsddb</a></tt><a name="l2h-1400"></a> module is required 
to use <tt class=module>dbhash</tt>.

<P>
This module provides an exception and a function:

<P>
<dl><dt><b><a name="l2h-1398"><tt class=exception>error</tt></a></b>
<dd>
  Exception raised on database errors other than
  <tt class=exception>KeyError</tt>.  It is a synonym for <tt class=exception>bsddb.error</tt>.
</dl>

<P>
<dl><dt><b><a name="l2h-1399"><tt class=function>open</tt></a></b> (<var>path, flag</var><big>[</big><var>, mode</var><big>]</big>)
<dd>
  Open a <tt>db</tt> database and return the database object.  The
  <var>path</var> argument is the name of the database file.

<P>
The <var>flag</var> argument can be
  <tt>'r'</tt> (the default), <tt>'w'</tt>,
  <tt>'c'</tt> (which creates the database if it doesn't exist), or
  <tt>'n'</tt> (which always creates a new empty database).
  For platforms on which the BSD <tt>db</tt> library supports locking,
  an "<tt class=character>l</tt>" can be appended to indicate that locking should be
  used.

<P>
The optional <var>mode</var> 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.
</dl>

<P>
<div class=seealso>
  <p class=heading><b>See Also:</b></p>

  <div class=seemodule>
<p>Module <b><tt class=module><a href="module-anydbm.html">anydbm</a></tt></b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(Generic interface to <tt>dbm</tt>-style databases.)</p>
</div>
  <div class=seemodule>
<p>Module <b><tt class=module><a href="module-bsddb.html">bsddb</a></tt></b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(Lower-level interface to the BSD <tt>db</tt> library.)</p>
</div>
  <div class=seemodule>
<p>Module <b><tt class=module><a href="module-whichdb.html">whichdb</a></tt></b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(Utility module used to determine the type of an
                      existing database.)</p>
</div>
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<P>

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