add useful function to safely set hdf5 attributes

xsocs/io/_utils.py

+# coding: utf-8
+# /*##########################################################################
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2018 European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
+#
+# Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+# of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+# in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+# to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+# copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+# furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+#
+# The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
+# all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+#
+# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+# FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+# AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+# LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+# OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
+# THE SOFTWARE.
+#
+# ###########################################################################*/
+"""Useful functions for HDF5 files"""
+
+import numpy
+import h5py
+from ..util import text_type
+
+
+def str_to_h5_utf8(text):
+    """Convert text to the appropriate unicode type
+
+    :param Union[str,List[str]] text:
+    :return: Input converted to a format appropriate for h5py
+    :rtype: numpy.ndarray
+    """
+    return numpy.array(text, dtype=h5py.special_dtype(vlen=text_type))