    """This module defines a class for handling writing reponses."""

    import exceptions
    import types

    try: # backward compatibility for Python < 2.3
        True, False
    except NameError:
        True, False = 1, 0

    debug = 0

    class InvalidCommandSequence(exceptions.Exception):
        pass

    class ASStreamOut:
        """This is a response stream to the client.

        The key attributes of this class are:

        `_autoCommit`:
            if True (1), the stream will automatically start sending data
            once it has accumulated `_bufferSize` data.  This means that
            it will ask the response to commit itself, without developer
            interaction.
        `_bufferSize`:
            The size of the data buffer.  This is only used when autocommit
            is true (1).  If not using autocommit, the whole response is
            buffered and sent in one shot when the servlet is done.
        `flush()`:
            Send the accumulated response data now. Will ask the `Response`
            to commit if it hasn't already done so.

        """

        def __init__(self):
            self._autoCommit = False
            self._bufferSize = 8192
            self._committed = False
            self._needCommit = False
            self._chunks = []
            self._buffer=''
            self._chunkLen= 0
            self._closed = False

        def autoCommit(self, val=0):
            """Get/Set the value of _autoCommit."""
            # @@ 2003-03 ib: doing both get and set in the same function
            # @@ is not good.
            assert type(val) is types.IntType, "autoCommit must be an integer"
            self._autoCommit = val
            return val

        def bufferSize(self, size=8192):
            """Return the buffer size and set a new size if one is provided."""
            # @@ 2003-03 ib: again, get/set not good
            assert type(size) is types.IntType, "bufferSize must be an Integer"
            self._bufferSize=size
            return self._bufferSize

        def flush(self):
            """Flush stream.

            Send available data as soon as possible, i.e. *now*.

            Returns True if we are ready to send, otherwise False (i.e.,
            if the buffer is full enough).

            """
            assert not self._closed, "Trying to flush when already closed"
            if debug:
                print ">>> Flushing ASStreamOut"
            if not self._committed:
                if self._autoCommit:
                    if debug:
                        print "ASSTreamOut.flush setting needCommit"
                    self._needCommit = True
                return False
            try:
                self._buffer = self._buffer + ''.join(self._chunks)
            finally:
                self._chunks = []
                self._chunkLen = False
            return True

        def buffer(self):
            """ Return accumulated data which has not yet been flushed.

            We want to be able to get at this data without having to call flush
            first, so that we can (for example) integrate automatic HTML validation.

            """
            if self._buffer: # if flush has been called, return what was flushed:
                return self._buffer
            else: # otherwise return the buffered chunks
                return ''.join(self._chunks)

        def clear(self):
            """Try to clear any accumulated response data.

            Will fail if the response is already sommitted.

            """
            if debug:
                print ">>> strmOut clear called"
            if self._committed:
                raise InvalidCommandSequence()
            self._buffer = ''
            self._chunks = []
            self._chunkLen=0

        def close(self):
            """Close this buffer. No more data may be sent."""
            if debug:
                print ">>> ASStream close called"
            self.flush()
            self._closed = True
            self._committed = True
            self._autocommit = True

        def closed(self):
            """Check whether we are closed to new data."""
            return self._closed

        def size(self):
            """Return the current size of the data held here."""
            return self._chunkLen + len(self._buffer)

        def prepend(self, charstr):
            """Add the attached string to front of the response buffer.

            Invalid if we are already committed.

            """
            if self.committed() or self.closed():
                raise InvalidCommandSequence()
            if self._buffer:
                self._buffer = charstr + self._buffer
            else:
                self._chunks.insert(0,charstr)
                self._chunkLen = self._chunkLen + len(charstr)

        def pop(self, count):
            """Remove count bytes from the front of the buffer."""
            if debug:
                print "AStreamOut popping %s" % count
            #should we check for an excessive pop length?
            assert count <= len(self._buffer)
            self._buffer = self._buffer[count:]

        def committed(self):
            """
            Are we committed?
            """
            return self._committed

        def needCommit(self):
            """Request for commitment.

            Called by the `HTTPResponse` instance that is using this instance
            to ask if the response needs to be prepared to be delivered.
            The response should then commit it's headers, etc.

            """
            return self._needCommit

        def commit(self, autoCommit=1):
            """Called by the Response to tell us to go.

            If `_autoCommit` is True, then we will be placed into autoCommit mode.

            """
            if debug:
                print ">>> ASStreamOut Committing"
            self._committed = True
            self._autoCommit = autoCommit
            self.flush()

        def write(self, charstr):
            """Write a string to the buffer."""
            if debug:
                print ">>> ASStreamOut writing %s characters" % len(charstr)
            assert not self._closed, "Stream Already Closed"
            self._chunks.append(charstr)
            self._chunkLen = self._chunkLen + len(charstr)
            if self._autoCommit and self._chunkLen > self._bufferSize:
                if debug:
                    print ">>> ASStreamOut.write flushing"
                self.flush()