<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
In <a href="http://docs.python.org/library/functions.html#open" target="_blank">http://docs.python.org/library/functions.html#open</a><br>
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"Modes 'r+', 'w+' and 'a+' open the file for updating (note that 'w+' truncates the file)."<br>
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The term "open the file for updating" means nothing to me in this context. <br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">
>From other place I learned this means that 'w+' means open for both <br>
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writing and reading and creates file if it does not exist and truncates file if it exists. 'a+' means appending and reading. 'r+' also means open for reading and writing but does not create file if it does not exist, as well as does not truncate the file if it does exist.<br>
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I'm still not exactly clear what the difference between 'r+' and 'a+' is then, if 'r+' does not truncate the file.<br>
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In any case, I suggest removing the word 'updating' and adding a description of what the '+' actually does.<br>
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See <a href="http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1466000/python-open-built-in-function-difference-between-modes-a-a-w-w" target="_blank">http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1466000/python-open-built-in-function-difference-between-modes-a-a-w-w</a><br>
</blockquote></div><br>Although this SO question you're linking to probably isn't the best candidate for a good question (as its score and comments demonstrate), but underneath it all I find that the reference for C's `fopen` indeed doesn't use the verb "update".<br>
<br>For example, for "w+" it says:<br><br>Open for reading and writing. The file is created if it does not exist,
otherwise it is truncated. The stream is positioned at the beginning of
the file.
<br><br>So I think this is something that can be considered.<br>Eli<br></div>