Python: Deleting specific strings from file

Question

I am reposting after changing a few things with my earlier post. thanks to all who gave suggestions earlier. I still have problems with it.

I have a data file (un-structed messy file) from which I have to scrub specific list of strings (delete strings).

Here is what I am doing but with no result:

infile = r"messy_data_file.txt" 
outfile = r"cleaned_file.txt"  

delete_list = ["firstname1 lastname1","firstname2 lastname2"....,"firstnamen lastnamen"] 

fin = open(infile,"") 
fout = open(outfile,"w+") 

for line in fin:     
    for word in delete_list:         
        line = line.replace(word, "")      

    fout.write(line) 

fin.close() 
fout.close()

When I execute the file, I get the following error:

NameError: name 'word' is not defined

Is your code really un-indented? That doesn't work in python, although I'd expect a different error message. — Wooble
– Wooble, Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 18:32
your indentation is pretty strange for a python script, are you sure of it ? (copy/paste the code here and then Ctrl+K to format it as code) — Cédric Julien
– Cédric Julien, Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 18:33
You should format your code exactly as it is when you're running it since python is whitespace sensitive and it's difficult to know what you are running with the code you posted. — Burton Samograd
– Burton Samograd, Commented Sep 9, 2011 at 18:34

Thomas · Accepted Answer · 2011-09-09 18:38:12Z

1

I'm unable to replicate your error; the error I get with your code is the empty mode string - either put "r" or delete it, read is the default.

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "test.py", line 6, in <module>
    fin = open(infile, "")
ValueError: empty mode string

Otherwise, seems fine!

answered Sep 9, 2011 at 18:38

Thomas

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