s0****@gmail.com writes:
file.truncate(X) will truncate the file to at most X bytes (i.e.
leave the first X bytes of the file and throw away the rest).
Yes, by (IIRC) asking the filesystem to do this in a simple operation.
Most (all?) filesystems support this operation either directly or with
little effort.
Is there a way to throw away, say, the first X bytes of the file,
and leave the rest? (Without opening the same file for reading,
reading and processing, overwriting the file with the new processed
data, etc.)
I don't know of any filesystem that supports this operation without
reading the file data. The built-in 'file' type doesn't support it.
--
\ "It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do |
`\ is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument |
_o__) will play itself." -- Johann Sebastian Bach |
Ben Finney