Convenience Functions

def getxattr(f, attr, symlink=False):
    """
    Get extended attribute value from file.
    
    Parameters:
    - f: str path, int file descriptor, or file-like object
    - attr: str, attribute name
    - symlink: bool, if True don't follow symbolic links
    
    Returns:
    bytes: attribute value
    
    Raises:
    IOError: filesystem error or attribute not found
    """

import xattr

# Get attribute from file path
description = xattr.getxattr('/path/to/file', 'user.description')
print(description)  # b'File description'

# Get attribute from symlink (not target)
link_attr = xattr.getxattr('/path/to/symlink', 'user.link_info', symlink=True)

# Get attribute using file descriptor
with open('/path/to/file', 'rb') as f:
    title = xattr.getxattr(f.fileno(), 'user.title')

def setxattr(f, attr, value, options=0, symlink=False):
    """
    Set extended attribute value on file.
    
    Parameters:
    - f: str path, int file descriptor, or file-like object
    - attr: str, attribute name
    - value: bytes, attribute value (must be bytes)
    - options: int, operation flags (XATTR_CREATE, XATTR_REPLACE, etc.)
    - symlink: bool, if True don't follow symbolic links
    
    Raises:
    IOError: filesystem error, permission denied, or flag constraints
    TypeError: value is not bytes
    """

import xattr

# Set basic attribute
xattr.setxattr('/path/to/file', 'user.description', b'My important file')

# Set with create flag (fail if exists)
xattr.setxattr('/path/to/file', 'user.id', b'12345', xattr.XATTR_CREATE)

# Set with replace flag (fail if doesn't exist)  
xattr.setxattr('/path/to/file', 'user.version', b'2.0', xattr.XATTR_REPLACE)

# Set on symlink itself
xattr.setxattr('/path/to/symlink', 'user.link_type', b'shortcut', symlink=True)

# Set using file object
with open('/path/to/file', 'r+b') as f:
    xattr.setxattr(f, 'user.modified_by', b'script')

def listxattr(f, symlink=False):
    """
    List all extended attribute names for file.
    
    Parameters:
    - f: str path, int file descriptor, or file-like object
    - symlink: bool, if True don't follow symbolic links
    
    Returns:
    tuple[str, ...]: attribute names with appropriate namespace prefixes
    
    Raises:
    IOError: filesystem error
    """

import xattr

# List all attributes
attrs = xattr.listxattr('/path/to/file')
print(attrs)  # ('user.description', 'user.title', 'user.version')

# List attributes on symlink itself
link_attrs = xattr.listxattr('/path/to/symlink', symlink=True)

# List using file descriptor
with open('/path/to/file', 'rb') as f:
    attrs = xattr.listxattr(f.fileno())
    for attr in attrs:
        value = xattr.getxattr(f.fileno(), attr)
        print(f"{attr}: {value}")

def removexattr(f, attr, symlink=False):
    """
    Remove extended attribute from file.
    
    Parameters:
    - f: str path, int file descriptor, or file-like object
    - attr: str, attribute name to remove
    - symlink: bool, if True don't follow symbolic links
    
    Raises:
    IOError: filesystem error or attribute not found
    """

import xattr

# Remove attribute
xattr.removexattr('/path/to/file', 'user.old_description')

# Remove from symlink itself
xattr.removexattr('/path/to/symlink', 'user.temp_attr', symlink=True)

# Remove using file object
with open('/path/to/file', 'r+b') as f:
    xattr.removexattr(f, 'user.cache_data')

# Remove all user attributes
attrs = xattr.listxattr('/path/to/file')
for attr in attrs:
    if attr.startswith('user.'):
        xattr.removexattr('/path/to/file', attr)

import xattr

# File path
filepath = '/path/to/document.txt'

# Set multiple attributes
metadata = {
    'user.title': b'Important Document',
    'user.author': b'John Doe', 
    'user.version': b'1.0',
    'user.tags': b'work,important,draft'
}

for attr, value in metadata.items():
    xattr.setxattr(filepath, attr, value)

# List and display all attributes
print("Extended attributes:")
for attr in xattr.listxattr(filepath):
    value = xattr.getxattr(filepath, attr)
    print(f"  {attr}: {value.decode('utf-8', errors='replace')}")

# Update specific attribute
xattr.setxattr(filepath, 'user.version', b'1.1', xattr.XATTR_REPLACE)

# Check if attribute exists and get value
try:
    description = xattr.getxattr(filepath, 'user.description')
    print(f"Description: {description}")
except IOError:
    print("No description set")
    xattr.setxattr(filepath, 'user.description', b'Default description')

# Clean up - remove temporary attributes
temp_attrs = [attr for attr in xattr.listxattr(filepath) 
              if 'temp' in attr.lower()]
for attr in temp_attrs:
    xattr.removexattr(filepath, attr)

import xattr

try:
    # This will raise IOError if attribute doesn't exist
    value = xattr.getxattr('/path/to/file', 'user.nonexistent')
except IOError as e:
    if e.errno == 61:  # ENODATA on Linux, ENOATTR on macOS
        print("Attribute does not exist")
    else:
        print(f"Filesystem error: {e}")

try:
    # This will raise TypeError if value is not bytes
    xattr.setxattr('/path/to/file', 'user.test', 'not bytes')
except TypeError:
    print("Values must be bytes")
    xattr.setxattr('/path/to/file', 'user.test', b'correct bytes value')