Interactive translation tool.

gistfile1.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
import sys, tty, termios

fd = sys.stdin.fileno()
old_settings = termios.tcgetattr(fd)

try:
    filename = sys.argv[1]
    f = open(filename, 'r')
    text = f.read()

    translate = {}
    for char in text:
        # just print if it's a space.
        if char.isspace():
            sys.stdout.write(char)
        elif char not in translate:
            # we haven't translated this character yet
            sys.stdout.write(char)
            old_trans_char = None
            trans_char = ''
            tty.setraw(sys.stdin.fileno())
            trans_char = sys.stdin.read(1)
            termios.tcsetattr(fd, termios.TCSANOW, old_settings)
            old_trans_char = trans_char
            if not trans_char.isspace():
                # if someone presses space, they're not guessing yet. Otherwise, commit translation, remove old char
                translate[char] = trans_char
                sys.stdout.write('\b')
                sys.stdout.write(trans_char)
        else:
            # translated
            sys.stdout.write(translate[char])
except Exception, e:
    print e
finally:
    termios.tcsetattr(fd, termios.TCSANOW, old_settings)
    # print out the translate dictionary, to get it back
    print translate

### The first part of steve's document has a translation dictionary thus :
    translate = {
    '!': '5',
    '#': '6', 
    '"': '/', 
    '%': '0', 
    '$': '2', 
    "'": 'M', 
    '&': '1', 
    ')': '.', 
    '(': 's', 
    '+': 'l', 
    '*': 'E', 
    '-': 'a', 
    ',': 'e', 
    '/': 'o', 
    '.': 'n', 
    '1': 'S', 
    '0': 'r', 
    '3': 'x', 
    '2': 'i', 
    '5': 'Y', 
    '4': 'N', 
    '7': 't', 
    '6': '$', 
    '9': 'P', 
    '8': 'v', 
    ';': '4', 
    ':': 'd', 
    '=': 'h', 
    '<': 'J', 
    '?': 'A', 
    '>': 'R', 
    'A': '3', 
    '@': 'Z', 
    'C': 'C', 
    'B': 'D', 
    'E': 'm', 
    'D': 'W', 
    'G': 'b', 
    'F': 'G', 
    'I': 'L', 
    'H': 'K', 
    'K': 'u', 
    'J': 'w', 
    'M': 'k', 
    'L': 'c', 
    'O': 'T', 
    'N': 'H', 
    'Q': 'B', 
    'P': 'X', 
    'S': '8', 
    'R': 'p', 
    'U': 'I', 
    'T': 'g', 
    'W': 'F', 
    'V': '9', 
    'Y': 'O', 
    'X': 'y', 
    '[': '7', 
    'Z': 'U', 
    ']': 'f', 
    '\\': 'z', 
    '_': 'V', 
    '^': '&', 
    'a': ',', 
    '`': 'Q', 
    'c': 'q', 
    'b': 'j', 
    'e': '"', 
    'd': 'W', 
    'g': ')', 
    'f': '(', 
    'i': ';', 
    'j': '"'
 }