Added module pystache.common with a read(path) function.

pystache/common.py

+# coding: utf-8
+
+"""
+Exposes common functions.
+
+"""
+
+# This function was designed to be portable across Python versions -- both
+# with older versions and with Python 3 after applying 2to3.
+def read(path):
+    """
+    Return the contents of a text file as a byte string.
+
+    """
+    # Opening in binary mode is necessary for compatibility across Python
+    # 2 and 3.  In both Python 2 and 3, open() defaults to opening files in
+    # text mode.  However, in Python 2, open() returns file objects whose
+    # read() method returns byte strings (strings of type `str` in Python 2),
+    # whereas in Python 3, the file object returns unicode strings (strings
+    # of type `str` in Python 3).
+    f = open(path, 'rb')
+    # We avoid use of the with keyword for Python 2.4 support.
+    try:
+        return f.read()
+    finally:
+        f.close()

pystache/loader.py

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ This module provides a Loader class for locating and reading templates.
 import os
 import sys
 
+from pystache import common
 from pystache import defaults
 from pystache.locator import Locator
 
@@ -106,17 +107,12 @@ class Loader(object):
         Read the template at the given path, and return it as a unicode string.
 
         """
-        # We avoid use of the with keyword for Python 2.4 support.
-        f = open(path, 'r')
-        try:
-            text = f.read()
-        finally:
-            f.close()
+        b = common.read(path)
 
         if encoding is None:
             encoding = self.file_encoding
 
-        return self.unicode(text, encoding)
+        return self.unicode(b, encoding)
 
     # TODO: unit-test this method.
     def load_name(self, name):