1:mod:`quopri` --- Encode and decode MIME quoted-printable data
2==============================================================
3
4.. module:: quopri
5   :synopsis: Encode and decode files using the MIME quoted-printable encoding.
6
7
8.. index::
9   pair: quoted-printable; encoding
10   single: MIME; quoted-printable encoding
11
12**Source code:** :source:`Lib/quopri.py`
13
14--------------
15
16This module performs quoted-printable transport encoding and decoding, as
17defined in :rfc:`1521`: "MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) Part One:
18Mechanisms for Specifying and Describing the Format of Internet Message Bodies".
19The quoted-printable encoding is designed for data where there are relatively
20few nonprintable characters; the base64 encoding scheme available via the
21:mod:`base64` module is more compact if there are many such characters, as when
22sending a graphics file.
23
24.. function:: decode(input, output[,header])
25
26   Decode the contents of the *input* file and write the resulting decoded binary
27   data to the *output* file. *input* and *output* must either be file objects or
28   objects that mimic the file object interface. *input* will be read until
29   ``input.readline()`` returns an empty string. If the optional argument *header*
30   is present and true, underscore will be decoded as space. This is used to decode
31   "Q"-encoded headers as described in :rfc:`1522`: "MIME (Multipurpose Internet
32   Mail Extensions) Part Two: Message Header Extensions for Non-ASCII Text".
33
34
35.. function:: encode(input, output, quotetabs)
36
37   Encode the contents of the *input* file and write the resulting quoted-printable
38   data to the *output* file. *input* and *output* must either be file objects or
39   objects that mimic the file object interface. *input* will be read until
40   ``input.readline()`` returns an empty string. *quotetabs* is a flag which
41   controls whether to encode embedded spaces and tabs; when true it encodes such
42   embedded whitespace, and when false it leaves them unencoded.  Note that spaces
43   and tabs appearing at the end of lines are always encoded, as per :rfc:`1521`.
44
45
46.. function:: decodestring(s[,header])
47
48   Like :func:`decode`, except that it accepts a source string and returns the
49   corresponding decoded string.
50
51
52.. function:: encodestring(s[, quotetabs])
53
54   Like :func:`encode`, except that it accepts a source string and returns the
55   corresponding encoded string.  *quotetabs* is optional (defaulting to 0), and is
56   passed straight through to :func:`encode`.
57
58
59.. seealso::
60
61   Module :mod:`mimify`
62      General utilities for processing of MIME messages.
63
64   Module :mod:`base64`
65      Encode and decode MIME base64 data
66
67