From: "Firestone, Mark - Technical Support" <mark.firestone@...>
Date: 2002-08-08T08:48:16+09:00
Subject: Fun with shifting bytes / Python translation

I'm trying to read what is referred to in this Python code as "weird
Microsoft Format" it is some sort of MicroSoft Real format.  Anyway, I've no
problem reading in this data with my Ruby code, but I can't make the math
work.  I don't understand how lamba or reduce work, for instance.  I also
have examples of it in Pascal but it is no clearer?  Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks

Mark




	while (1):
	    L=f.read(5)			# Read an entry
	    if L=='': return index
	    
	    L=map(lambda x: ord(x), L[0:4])
	    L.reverse()
	    n=reduce(lambda x,y: x*256+y, L, 0L)
	    # Index values are stored in a weird Microsoft format; the
	    # following lines convert to something more reasonable.
	    shift=24-((n>>24) & 0x7f)
	    n=(n & 0x00ffffffL)  | 0x00800000L
	    index.append((n >>shift)-1)
	return index


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