app/django/contrib/gis/utils/layermapping.py
author Sverre Rabbelier <srabbelier@gmail.com>
Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:36:49 +0200
changeset 2898 ac5f77cd6046
parent 323 ff1a9aa48cfd
permissions -rw-r--r--
Fix 500 when saving /site/edit without email When saving /site/edit with no no_reply_email set, a 500 error page would be returned due to an empty value being passed as value to the datastore (which is not allowed for email fields).

# LayerMapping -- A Django Model/OGR Layer Mapping Utility
"""
 The LayerMapping class provides a way to map the contents of OGR
 vector files (e.g. SHP files) to Geographic-enabled Django models.

 This grew out of my personal needs, specifically the code repetition
 that went into pulling geometries and fields out of an OGR layer,
 converting to another coordinate system (e.g. WGS84), and then inserting
 into a GeoDjango model.

 Please report any bugs encountered using this utility.

 Requirements:  OGR C Library (from GDAL) required.

 Usage: 
  lm = LayerMapping(model, source_file, mapping) where,

  model:
   GeoDjango model (not an instance)

  data:
   OGR-supported data source file (e.g. a shapefile) or
    gdal.DataSource instance

  mapping:
   A python dictionary, keys are strings corresponding
   to the GeoDjango model field, and values correspond to
   string field names for the OGR feature, or if the model field
   is a geographic then it should correspond to the OGR
   geometry type, e.g. 'POINT', 'LINESTRING', 'POLYGON'.

 Keyword Args:
  layer:
   The index of the layer to use from the Data Source (defaults to 0)

  source_srs:
   Use this to specify the source SRS manually (for example, 
   some shapefiles don't come with a '.prj' file).  An integer SRID,
   a string WKT, and SpatialReference objects are valid parameters.

  encoding:
   Specifies the encoding of the string in the OGR data source.
   For example, 'latin-1', 'utf-8', and 'cp437' are all valid
   encoding parameters.

  transaction_mode:
   May be 'commit_on_success' (default) or 'autocommit'.

  transform:
   Setting this to False will disable all coordinate transformations.  

  unique:
   Setting this to the name, or a tuple of names, from the given
   model will create models unique only to the given name(s).
   Geometries will from each feature will be added into the collection
   associated with the unique model.  Forces transaction mode to
   be 'autocommit'.

Example:

 1. You need a GDAL-supported data source, like a shapefile.

  Assume we're using the test_poly SHP file:
  >>> from django.contrib.gis.gdal import DataSource
  >>> ds = DataSource('test_poly.shp')
  >>> layer = ds[0]
  >>> print layer.fields # Exploring the fields in the layer, we only want the 'str' field.
  ['float', 'int', 'str']
  >>> print len(layer) # getting the number of features in the layer (should be 3)
  3
  >>> print layer.geom_type # Should be 3 (a Polygon)
  3
  >>> print layer.srs # WGS84
  GEOGCS["GCS_WGS_1984",
      DATUM["WGS_1984",
          SPHEROID["WGS_1984",6378137,298.257223563]],
      PRIMEM["Greenwich",0],
      UNIT["Degree",0.017453292519943295]]

 2. Now we define our corresponding Django model (make sure to use syncdb):

  from django.contrib.gis.db import models
  class TestGeo(models.Model, models.GeoMixin):
      name = models.CharField(maxlength=25) # corresponds to the 'str' field
      poly = models.PolygonField(srid=4269) # we want our model in a different SRID
      objects = models.GeoManager()
      def __str__(self):
          return 'Name: %s' % self.name

 3. Use LayerMapping to extract all the features and place them in the database:

  >>> from django.contrib.gis.utils import LayerMapping
  >>> from geoapp.models import TestGeo
  >>> mapping = {'name' : 'str', # The 'name' model field maps to the 'str' layer field.
                 'poly' : 'POLYGON', # For geometry fields use OGC name.
                 } # The mapping is a dictionary
  >>> lm = LayerMapping(TestGeo, 'test_poly.shp', mapping) 
  >>> lm.save(verbose=True) # Save the layermap, imports the data. 
  Saved: Name: 1
  Saved: Name: 2
  Saved: Name: 3

 LayerMapping just transformed the three geometries from the SHP file from their
 source spatial reference system (WGS84) to the spatial reference system of
 the GeoDjango model (NAD83).  If no spatial reference system is defined for
 the layer, use the `source_srs` keyword with a SpatialReference object to
 specify one.
"""
import sys
from datetime import date, datetime
from decimal import Decimal
from django.core.exceptions import ObjectDoesNotExist
from django.contrib.gis.db.models import GeometryField
from django.contrib.gis.db.backend import SpatialBackend
from django.contrib.gis.gdal import CoordTransform, DataSource, \
    OGRException, OGRGeometry, OGRGeomType, SpatialReference
from django.contrib.gis.gdal.field import \
    OFTDate, OFTDateTime, OFTInteger, OFTReal, OFTString, OFTTime
from django.contrib.gis.models import GeometryColumns, SpatialRefSys
from django.db import models, transaction
from django.contrib.localflavor.us.models import USStateField

# LayerMapping exceptions.
class LayerMapError(Exception): pass
class InvalidString(LayerMapError): pass
class InvalidDecimal(LayerMapError): pass
class InvalidInteger(LayerMapError): pass
class MissingForeignKey(LayerMapError): pass

class LayerMapping(object):
    "A class that maps OGR Layers to GeoDjango Models."
    
    # Acceptable 'base' types for a multi-geometry type.
    MULTI_TYPES = {1 : OGRGeomType('MultiPoint'),
                   2 : OGRGeomType('MultiLineString'),
                   3 : OGRGeomType('MultiPolygon'),
                   }

    # Acceptable Django field types and corresponding acceptable OGR
    # counterparts.
    FIELD_TYPES = {
        models.AutoField : OFTInteger,
        models.IntegerField : (OFTInteger, OFTReal, OFTString),
        models.FloatField : (OFTInteger, OFTReal),
        models.DateField : OFTDate,
        models.DateTimeField : OFTDateTime,
        models.EmailField : OFTString,
        models.TimeField : OFTTime,
        models.DecimalField : (OFTInteger, OFTReal),
        models.CharField : OFTString,
        models.SlugField : OFTString,
        models.TextField : OFTString,
        models.URLField : OFTString,
        USStateField : OFTString,
        models.XMLField : OFTString,
        models.SmallIntegerField : (OFTInteger, OFTReal, OFTString),
        models.PositiveSmallIntegerField : (OFTInteger, OFTReal, OFTString),
        }

    # The acceptable transaction modes.
    TRANSACTION_MODES = {'autocommit' : transaction.autocommit,
                         'commit_on_success' : transaction.commit_on_success,
                         }

    def __init__(self, model, data, mapping, layer=0, 
                 source_srs=None, encoding=None,
                 transaction_mode='commit_on_success', 
                 transform=True, unique=None):
        """
        A LayerMapping object is initialized using the given Model (not an instance),
        a DataSource (or string path to an OGR-supported data file), and a mapping
        dictionary.  See the module level docstring for more details and keyword
        argument usage.
        """
        # Getting the DataSource and the associated Layer.
        if isinstance(data, basestring):
            self.ds = DataSource(data)
        else:
            self.ds = data
        self.layer = self.ds[layer]

        # Setting the mapping & model attributes.
        self.mapping = mapping
        self.model = model
 
        # Checking the layer -- intitialization of the object will fail if
        # things don't check out before hand.
        self.check_layer()

        # Getting the geometry column associated with the model (an 
        # exception will be raised if there is no geometry column).
        self.geo_col = self.geometry_column()

        # Checking the source spatial reference system, and getting
        # the coordinate transformation object (unless the `transform`
        # keyword is set to False)
        if transform:
            self.source_srs = self.check_srs(source_srs)
            self.transform = self.coord_transform()
        else:
            self.transform = transform

        # Setting the encoding for OFTString fields, if specified.
        if encoding:
            # Making sure the encoding exists, if not a LookupError
            # exception will be thrown.
            from codecs import lookup
            lookup(encoding)
            self.encoding = encoding
        else:
            self.encoding = None

        if unique:
            self.check_unique(unique)
            transaction_mode = 'autocommit' # Has to be set to autocommit.
            self.unique = unique
        else:
            self.unique = None

        # Setting the transaction decorator with the function in the 
        # transaction modes dictionary.
        if transaction_mode in self.TRANSACTION_MODES:
            self.transaction_decorator = self.TRANSACTION_MODES[transaction_mode]
            self.transaction_mode = transaction_mode
        else:
            raise LayerMapError('Unrecognized transaction mode: %s' % transaction_mode)
    
    #### Checking routines used during initialization ####
    def check_fid_range(self, fid_range):
        "This checks the `fid_range` keyword."
        if fid_range:
            if isinstance(fid_range, (tuple, list)):
                return slice(*fid_range)
            elif isinstance(fid_range, slice):
                return fid_range
            else:
                raise TypeError
        else:
            return None

    def check_layer(self):
        """
        This checks the Layer metadata, and ensures that it is compatible
        with the mapping information and model.  Unlike previous revisions,
        there is no need to increment through each feature in the Layer.
        """
        # The geometry field of the model is set here.
        # TODO: Support more than one geometry field / model.  However, this
        # depends on the GDAL Driver in use.
        self.geom_field = False
        self.fields = {}

        # Getting lists of the field names and the field types available in
        # the OGR Layer.
        ogr_fields = self.layer.fields
        ogr_field_types = self.layer.field_types

        # Function for determining if the OGR mapping field is in the Layer.
        def check_ogr_fld(ogr_map_fld):
            try:
                idx = ogr_fields.index(ogr_map_fld)
            except ValueError:
                raise LayerMapError('Given mapping OGR field "%s" not found in OGR Layer.' % ogr_map_fld)
            return idx

        # No need to increment through each feature in the model, simply check
        # the Layer metadata against what was given in the mapping dictionary.
        for field_name, ogr_name in self.mapping.items():
            # Ensuring that a corresponding field exists in the model
            # for the given field name in the mapping.
            try:
                model_field = self.model._meta.get_field(field_name)
            except models.fields.FieldDoesNotExist:
                raise LayerMapError('Given mapping field "%s" not in given Model fields.' % field_name)

            # Getting the string name for the Django field class (e.g., 'PointField').
            fld_name = model_field.__class__.__name__

            if isinstance(model_field, GeometryField):
                if self.geom_field:
                    raise LayerMapError('LayerMapping does not support more than one GeometryField per model.')

                try:
                    gtype = OGRGeomType(ogr_name)
                except OGRException:
                    raise LayerMapError('Invalid mapping for GeometryField "%s".' % field_name)

                # Making sure that the OGR Layer's Geometry is compatible.
                ltype = self.layer.geom_type
                if not (gtype == ltype or self.make_multi(ltype, model_field)):
                    raise LayerMapError('Invalid mapping geometry; model has %s, feature has %s.' % (fld_name, gtype))

                # Setting the `geom_field` attribute w/the name of the model field
                # that is a Geometry.
                self.geom_field = field_name
                fields_val = model_field
            elif isinstance(model_field, models.ForeignKey):
                if isinstance(ogr_name, dict):
                    # Is every given related model mapping field in the Layer?
                    rel_model = model_field.rel.to
                    for rel_name, ogr_field in ogr_name.items(): 
                        idx = check_ogr_fld(ogr_field)
                        try:
                            rel_field = rel_model._meta.get_field(rel_name)
                        except models.fields.FieldDoesNotExist:
                            raise LayerMapError('ForeignKey mapping field "%s" not in %s fields.' % 
                                                (rel_name, rel_model.__class__.__name__))
                    fields_val = rel_model
                else:
                    raise TypeError('ForeignKey mapping must be of dictionary type.')
            else:
                # Is the model field type supported by LayerMapping?
                if not model_field.__class__ in self.FIELD_TYPES:
                    raise LayerMapError('Django field type "%s" has no OGR mapping (yet).' % fld_name)

                # Is the OGR field in the Layer?
                idx = check_ogr_fld(ogr_name)
                ogr_field = ogr_field_types[idx]

                # Can the OGR field type be mapped to the Django field type?
                if not issubclass(ogr_field, self.FIELD_TYPES[model_field.__class__]):
                    raise LayerMapError('OGR field "%s" (of type %s) cannot be mapped to Django %s.' % 
                                        (ogr_field, ogr_field.__name__, fld_name))
                fields_val = model_field
        
            self.fields[field_name] = fields_val

    def check_srs(self, source_srs):
        "Checks the compatibility of the given spatial reference object."
        if isinstance(source_srs, SpatialReference):
            sr = source_srs
        elif isinstance(source_srs, SpatialRefSys):
            sr = source_srs.srs
        elif isinstance(source_srs, (int, basestring)):
            sr = SpatialReference(source_srs)
        else:
            # Otherwise just pulling the SpatialReference from the layer
            sr = self.layer.srs
        
        if not sr:
            raise LayerMapError('No source reference system defined.')
        else:
            return sr

    def check_unique(self, unique):
        "Checks the `unique` keyword parameter -- may be a sequence or string."
        if isinstance(unique, (list, tuple)):
            # List of fields to determine uniqueness with
            for attr in unique: 
                if not attr in self.mapping: raise ValueError
        elif isinstance(unique, basestring):
            # Only a single field passed in.
            if unique not in self.mapping: raise ValueError
        else:
            raise TypeError('Unique keyword argument must be set with a tuple, list, or string.')

    #### Keyword argument retrieval routines ####
    def feature_kwargs(self, feat):
        """
        Given an OGR Feature, this will return a dictionary of keyword arguments
        for constructing the mapped model.
        """
        # The keyword arguments for model construction.
        kwargs = {}

        # Incrementing through each model field and OGR field in the
        # dictionary mapping.
        for field_name, ogr_name in self.mapping.items():
            model_field = self.fields[field_name]
            
            if isinstance(model_field, GeometryField):
                # Verify OGR geometry.
                val = self.verify_geom(feat.geom, model_field)
            elif isinstance(model_field, models.base.ModelBase):
                # The related _model_, not a field was passed in -- indicating
                # another mapping for the related Model.
                val = self.verify_fk(feat, model_field, ogr_name)
            else:
                # Otherwise, verify OGR Field type.
                val = self.verify_ogr_field(feat[ogr_name], model_field)

            # Setting the keyword arguments for the field name with the
            # value obtained above.
            kwargs[field_name] = val
            
        return kwargs

    def unique_kwargs(self, kwargs):
        """
        Given the feature keyword arguments (from `feature_kwargs`) this routine
        will construct and return the uniqueness keyword arguments -- a subset
        of the feature kwargs.
        """
        if isinstance(self.unique, basestring):
            return {self.unique : kwargs[self.unique]}
        else:
            return dict((fld, kwargs[fld]) for fld in self.unique)

    #### Verification routines used in constructing model keyword arguments. ####
    def verify_ogr_field(self, ogr_field, model_field):
        """
        Verifies if the OGR Field contents are acceptable to the Django
        model field.  If they are, the verified value is returned, 
        otherwise the proper exception is raised.
        """
        if (isinstance(ogr_field, OFTString) and 
            isinstance(model_field, (models.CharField, models.TextField))): 
            if self.encoding:
                # The encoding for OGR data sources may be specified here
                # (e.g., 'cp437' for Census Bureau boundary files).
                val = unicode(ogr_field.value, self.encoding)
            else:
                val = ogr_field.value
                if len(val) > model_field.max_length:
                    raise InvalidString('%s model field maximum string length is %s, given %s characters.' %
                                        (model_field.name, model_field.max_length, len(val)))
        elif isinstance(ogr_field, OFTReal) and isinstance(model_field, models.DecimalField):
            try:
                # Creating an instance of the Decimal value to use.
                d = Decimal(str(ogr_field.value))
            except:
                raise InvalidDecimal('Could not construct decimal from: %s' % ogr_field.value)

            # Getting the decimal value as a tuple.
            dtup = d.as_tuple()
            digits = dtup[1]
            d_idx = dtup[2] # index where the decimal is

            # Maximum amount of precision, or digits to the left of the decimal.
            max_prec = model_field.max_digits - model_field.decimal_places

            # Getting the digits to the left of the decimal place for the 
            # given decimal.
            if d_idx < 0:
                n_prec = len(digits[:d_idx])
            else:
                n_prec = len(digits) + d_idx

            # If we have more than the maximum digits allowed, then throw an 
            # InvalidDecimal exception.
            if n_prec > max_prec:
                raise InvalidDecimal('A DecimalField with max_digits %d, decimal_places %d must round to an absolute value less than 10^%d.' %
                                     (model_field.max_digits, model_field.decimal_places, max_prec))
            val = d
        elif isinstance(ogr_field, (OFTReal, OFTString)) and isinstance(model_field, models.IntegerField):
            # Attempt to convert any OFTReal and OFTString value to an OFTInteger.
            try:
                val = int(ogr_field.value)
            except:
                raise InvalidInteger('Could not construct integer from: %s' % ogr_field.value)
        else:
            val = ogr_field.value
        return val

    def verify_fk(self, feat, rel_model, rel_mapping):
        """
        Given an OGR Feature, the related model and its dictionary mapping,
        this routine will retrieve the related model for the ForeignKey
        mapping.
        """
        # TODO: It is expensive to retrieve a model for every record --
        #  explore if an efficient mechanism exists for caching related 
        #  ForeignKey models.

        # Constructing and verifying the related model keyword arguments.
        fk_kwargs = {}
        for field_name, ogr_name in rel_mapping.items():
            fk_kwargs[field_name] = self.verify_ogr_field(feat[ogr_name], rel_model._meta.get_field(field_name))

        # Attempting to retrieve and return the related model.
        try:
            return rel_model.objects.get(**fk_kwargs)
        except ObjectDoesNotExist:
            raise MissingForeignKey('No ForeignKey %s model found with keyword arguments: %s' % (rel_model.__name__, fk_kwargs))
            
    def verify_geom(self, geom, model_field):
        """
        Verifies the geometry -- will construct and return a GeometryCollection
        if necessary (for example if the model field is MultiPolygonField while
        the mapped shapefile only contains Polygons).
        """
        if self.make_multi(geom.geom_type, model_field):
            # Constructing a multi-geometry type to contain the single geometry
            multi_type = self.MULTI_TYPES[geom.geom_type.num]
            g = OGRGeometry(multi_type)
            g.add(geom)
        else:
            g = geom

        # Transforming the geometry with our Coordinate Transformation object,
        # but only if the class variable `transform` is set w/a CoordTransform 
        # object.
        if self.transform: g.transform(self.transform)
        
        # Returning the WKT of the geometry.
        return g.wkt

    #### Other model methods ####
    def coord_transform(self):
        "Returns the coordinate transformation object."
        try:
            # Getting the target spatial reference system
            target_srs = SpatialRefSys.objects.get(srid=self.geo_col.srid).srs

            # Creating the CoordTransform object
            return CoordTransform(self.source_srs, target_srs)
        except Exception, msg:
            raise LayerMapError('Could not translate between the data source and model geometry: %s' % msg)

    def geometry_column(self):
        "Returns the GeometryColumn model associated with the geographic column."
        # Getting the GeometryColumn object.
        try:
            db_table = self.model._meta.db_table
            geo_col = self.geom_field
            if SpatialBackend.name == 'oracle':
                # Making upper case for Oracle.
                db_table = db_table.upper()
                geo_col = geo_col.upper()
            gc_kwargs = {GeometryColumns.table_name_col() : db_table,
                         GeometryColumns.geom_col_name() : geo_col,
                         }
            return GeometryColumns.objects.get(**gc_kwargs)
        except Exception, msg:
            raise LayerMapError('Geometry column does not exist for model. (did you run syncdb?):\n %s' % msg)

    def make_multi(self, geom_type, model_field):
        """
        Given the OGRGeomType for a geometry and its associated GeometryField, 
        determine whether the geometry should be turned into a GeometryCollection.
        """
        return (geom_type.num in self.MULTI_TYPES and 
                model_field.__class__.__name__ == 'Multi%s' % geom_type.django)

    def save(self, verbose=False, fid_range=False, step=False, 
             progress=False, silent=False, stream=sys.stdout, strict=False):
        """
        Saves the contents from the OGR DataSource Layer into the database
        according to the mapping dictionary given at initialization. 
        
        Keyword Parameters:
         verbose:
           If set, information will be printed subsequent to each model save 
           executed on the database.

         fid_range:
           May be set with a slice or tuple of (begin, end) feature ID's to map
           from the data source.  In other words, this keyword enables the user
           to selectively import a subset range of features in the geographic
           data source.

         step:
           If set with an integer, transactions will occur at every step 
           interval. For example, if step=1000, a commit would occur after 
           the 1,000th feature, the 2,000th feature etc.

         progress:
           When this keyword is set, status information will be printed giving 
           the number of features processed and sucessfully saved.  By default, 
           progress information will pe printed every 1000 features processed, 
           however, this default may be overridden by setting this keyword with an 
           integer for the desired interval.

         stream:
           Status information will be written to this file handle.  Defaults to 
           using `sys.stdout`, but any object with a `write` method is supported.

         silent:
           By default, non-fatal error notifications are printed to stdout, but 
           this keyword may be set to disable these notifications.

         strict:
           Execution of the model mapping will cease upon the first error 
           encountered.  The default behavior is to attempt to continue.
        """
        # Getting the default Feature ID range.
        default_range = self.check_fid_range(fid_range)
    
        # Setting the progress interval, if requested.
        if progress:
            if progress is True or not isinstance(progress, int):
                progress_interval = 1000
            else:
                progress_interval = progress

        # Defining the 'real' save method, utilizing the transaction 
        # decorator created during initialization.
        @self.transaction_decorator
        def _save(feat_range=default_range, num_feat=0, num_saved=0):
            if feat_range:
                layer_iter = self.layer[feat_range]
            else:
                layer_iter = self.layer

            for feat in layer_iter:
                num_feat += 1
                # Getting the keyword arguments
                try:
                    kwargs = self.feature_kwargs(feat)
                except LayerMapError, msg:
                    # Something borked the validation
                    if strict: raise
                    elif not silent: 
                        stream.write('Ignoring Feature ID %s because: %s\n' % (feat.fid, msg))
                else:
                    # Constructing the model using the keyword args
                    is_update = False
                    if self.unique:
                        # If we want unique models on a particular field, handle the
                        # geometry appropriately.
                        try:
                            # Getting the keyword arguments and retrieving
                            # the unique model.
                            u_kwargs = self.unique_kwargs(kwargs)
                            m = self.model.objects.get(**u_kwargs)
                            is_update = True
                                
                            # Getting the geometry (in OGR form), creating 
                            # one from the kwargs WKT, adding in additional 
                            # geometries, and update the attribute with the 
                            # just-updated geometry WKT.
                            geom = getattr(m, self.geom_field).ogr
                            new = OGRGeometry(kwargs[self.geom_field])
                            for g in new: geom.add(g) 
                            setattr(m, self.geom_field, geom.wkt)
                        except ObjectDoesNotExist:
                            # No unique model exists yet, create.
                            m = self.model(**kwargs)
                    else:
                        m = self.model(**kwargs)

                    try:
                        # Attempting to save.
                        m.save()
                        num_saved += 1
                        if verbose: stream.write('%s: %s\n' % (is_update and 'Updated' or 'Saved', m))
                    except SystemExit:
                        raise
                    except Exception, msg:
                        if self.transaction_mode == 'autocommit':
                            # Rolling back the transaction so that other model saves
                            # will work.
                            transaction.rollback_unless_managed()
                        if strict: 
                            # Bailing out if the `strict` keyword is set.
                            if not silent:
                                stream.write('Failed to save the feature (id: %s) into the model with the keyword arguments:\n' % feat.fid)
                                stream.write('%s\n' % kwargs)
                            raise
                        elif not silent:
                            stream.write('Failed to save %s:\n %s\nContinuing\n' % (kwargs, msg))

                # Printing progress information, if requested.
                if progress and num_feat % progress_interval == 0:
                    stream.write('Processed %d features, saved %d ...\n' % (num_feat, num_saved))
        
            # Only used for status output purposes -- incremental saving uses the
            # values returned here.
            return num_saved, num_feat

        nfeat = self.layer.num_feat
        if step and isinstance(step, int) and step < nfeat:
            # Incremental saving is requested at the given interval (step) 
            if default_range: 
                raise LayerMapError('The `step` keyword may not be used in conjunction with the `fid_range` keyword.')
            beg, num_feat, num_saved = (0, 0, 0)
            indices = range(step, nfeat, step)
            n_i = len(indices)

            for i, end in enumerate(indices):
                # Constructing the slice to use for this step; the last slice is
                # special (e.g, [100:] instead of [90:100]).
                if i+1 == n_i: step_slice = slice(beg, None)
                else: step_slice = slice(beg, end)
            
                try:
                    num_feat, num_saved = _save(step_slice, num_feat, num_saved)
                    beg = end
                except:
                    stream.write('%s\nFailed to save slice: %s\n' % ('=-' * 20, step_slice))
                    raise
        else:
            # Otherwise, just calling the previously defined _save() function.
            _save()