What is the python “with” statement designed for?

Question

I came across the Python with statement for the first time today. I\'ve been using Python lightly for several months and didn\'t even know of its existence! G

Answer 1

I would suggest two interesting lectures:

• PEP 343 The "with" Statement
• Effbot Understanding Python's "with" statement

1. The with statement is used to wrap the execution of a block with methods defined by a context manager. This allows common try...except...finally usage patterns to be encapsulated for convenient reuse.

2. You could do something like:

with open("foo.txt") as foo_file:
    data = foo_file.read()

OR

from contextlib import nested
with nested(A(), B(), C()) as (X, Y, Z):
   do_something()

OR (Python 3.1)

with open('data') as input_file, open('result', 'w') as output_file:
   for line in input_file:
     output_file.write(parse(line))

OR

lock = threading.Lock()
with lock:
    # Critical section of code

3. I don't see any Antipattern here.
Quoting Dive into Python:

try..finally is good. with is better.

4. I guess it's related to programmers's habit to use try..catch..finally statement from other languages.