simple indexed file module?

[Joe Strout]

For a CGI script I'm working on, I need to keep a couple of indexed
files.  These will contain variable-length data (descriptions), which
may be changed fairly frequently.  So I imagine that in addition to the
data file, there will be an index file that keeps track of the position
and length of each record.  New or expanded records will be stuffed in
wherever there is free space, or at the end if no sufficient free chunk
is available.

Is there already a module out there that does this?  I know I could use
some sort of SQL interface, but I don't want to take up space on my web
site host for such a database engine.  For this application, a little
Python implementation should work fine (and besides, that way I can
test it in the comfort of my Mac).  Anybody have such a beast?

Thanks,
-- Joe

-- 
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|    Joseph J. Strout           Biocomputing -- The Salk Institute |
|    joe at strout.net             http://www.strout.net              |
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