Module MimeWriter :: Class MimeWriter
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_ClassType MimeWriter

Generic MIME writer.

Methods:

__init__()
addheader()
flushheaders()
startbody()
startmultipartbody()
nextpart()
lastpart()

A MIME writer is much more primitive than a MIME parser.  It
doesn't seek around on the output file, and it doesn't use large
amounts of buffer space, so you have to write the parts in the
order they should occur on the output file.  It does buffer the
headers you add, allowing you to rearrange their order.

General usage is:

f = <open the output file>
w = MimeWriter(f)
...call w.addheader(key, value) 0 or more times...

followed by either:

f = w.startbody(content_type)
...call f.write(data) for body data...

or:

w.startmultipartbody(subtype)
for each part:
    subwriter = w.nextpart()
    ...use the subwriter's methods to create the subpart...
w.lastpart()

The subwriter is another MimeWriter instance, and should be
treated in the same way as the toplevel MimeWriter.  This way,
writing recursive body parts is easy.

Warning: don't forget to call lastpart()!

XXX There should be more state so calls made in the wrong order
are detected.

Some special cases:

- startbody() just returns the file passed to the constructor;
  but don't use this knowledge, as it may be changed.

- startmultipartbody() actually returns a file as well;
  this can be used to write the initial 'if you can read this your
  mailer is not MIME-aware' message.

- If you call flushheaders(), the headers accumulated so far are
  written out (and forgotten); this is useful if you don't need a
  body part at all, e.g. for a subpart of type message/rfc822
  that's (mis)used to store some header-like information.

- Passing a keyword argument 'prefix=<flag>' to addheader(),
  start*body() affects where the header is inserted; 0 means
  append at the end, 1 means insert at the start; default is
  append for addheader(), but insert for start*body(), which use
  it to determine where the Content-Type header goes.

Instance Methods [hide private]
 
__init__(self, fp)
 
addheader(self, key, value, prefix=0)
Add a header line to the MIME message.
 
flushheaders(self)
Writes out and forgets all headers accumulated so far.
 
startbody(self, ctype, plist=[], prefix=1)
Returns a file-like object for writing the body of the message.
 
startmultipartbody(self, subtype, boundary=None, plist=[], prefix=1)
Returns a file-like object for writing the body of the message.
 
nextpart(self)
Returns a new instance of MimeWriter which represents an individual part in a multipart message.
 
lastpart(self)
This is used to designate the last part of a multipart message.
Method Details [hide private]

addheader(self, key, value, prefix=0)

 

Add a header line to the MIME message.

The key is the name of the header, where the value obviously provides the value of the header. The optional argument prefix determines where the header is inserted; 0 means append at the end, 1 means insert at the start. The default is to append.

flushheaders(self)

 

Writes out and forgets all headers accumulated so far.

This is useful if you don't need a body part at all; for example, for a subpart of type message/rfc822 that's (mis)used to store some header-like information.

startbody(self, ctype, plist=[], prefix=1)

 

Returns a file-like object for writing the body of the message.

The content-type is set to the provided ctype, and the optional parameter, plist, provides additional parameters for the content-type declaration. The optional argument prefix determines where the header is inserted; 0 means append at the end, 1 means insert at the start. The default is to insert at the start.

startmultipartbody(self, subtype, boundary=None, plist=[], prefix=1)

 

Returns a file-like object for writing the body of the message.

Additionally, this method initializes the multi-part code, where the subtype parameter provides the multipart subtype, the boundary parameter may provide a user-defined boundary specification, and the plist parameter provides optional parameters for the subtype. The optional argument, prefix, determines where the header is inserted; 0 means append at the end, 1 means insert at the start. The default is to insert at the start. Subparts should be created using the nextpart() method.

nextpart(self)

 

Returns a new instance of MimeWriter which represents an individual part in a multipart message.

This may be used to write the part as well as used for creating recursively complex multipart messages. The message must first be initialized with the startmultipartbody() method before using the nextpart() method.

lastpart(self)

 

This is used to designate the last part of a multipart message.

It should always be used when writing multipart messages.