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Misunderstood python yield

This code below works correct :

def file_gen(f_name):
    f = open(f_name)
    for line in f:
        yield line

gen_line = file_gen("foo.html")
gen_line.next() # '<!DOCTYPE>n'
gen_line.next() # '<html> n' 
gen_line.next() # ... next line in file 

But this function raises StopIteration. I don’t understand why ?

def file_gen(f_name):
    f = open(f_name)
    line = f.readline()
    yield line

gen_line = file_gen('foo.html')
gen_line.next()  # '<!DOCTYPE>n'
gen_line.next()  # StopIteration

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Answer

You have:

def file_gen(f_name):
    f = open(f_name)
    line = f.readline()
    yield line

Notice line = f.readline() This only reads 1 line from the file.

Compare:

def g(x):
    li=range(x)
    yield li.pop()

print list(g(10))
# [9]

with this:

def g(x):
    li=range(x)
    while li:
       yield li.pop()

print list(g(10))
# [9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0]

yield can only be called once with a particular object or expression. Once it is used by the receiver it must be regenerated. So you need a loop around reading each line of the file.

You can use your second (less readable) form this way:

def file_gen(f_name):
    f = open(f_name)
    while True:
        line = f.readline()
        if not line:
            break
        yield line

You need a loop to create the the items to yield. In your first case, for line in f: yield line is a loop.

I would rewrite your function this way:

def file_gen(f_name):
    with open(f_name) as f:
        for line in f:
            yield line
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