# Python Sndhdr Module

The `sndhdr` module provides utility functions which attempt to determine the type of sound data which is in a file.

**Note: The `sndhdr` module is deprecated as of Python 3.11 and was removed in Python 3.13. It is recommended to use external libraries like `filetype`, `puremagic`, or `python-magic` for file type detection.**

## Importing the Module

```python
import sndhdr
```

## Determining Sound File Type

### `sndhdr.what()`

The `sndhdr.what()` function determines the type of sound data stored in the file `filename`.

```python
import sndhdr

filename = 'sample.wav'
# Returns a named tuple: (filetype, framerate, nchannels, nframes, sampwidth)
# or None if the type cannot be determined.
info = sndhdr.what(filename)

if info:
    print(f"File type: {info.filetype}")
    print(f"Frame rate: {info.framerate}")
    print(f"Channels: {info.nchannels}")
    print(f"Frames: {info.nframes}")
    print(f"Sample width: {info.sampwidth}")
else:
    print("Could not determine sound file type.")
```

### `sndhdr.whathdr()`

The `sndhdr.whathdr()` function determines the type of sound data stored in a file based on the file header.

```python
import sndhdr

info = sndhdr.whathdr('sample.aiff')
print(info)
```

## Return Values

The functions return a named tuple containing:

*   `filetype`: The type of the sound file (e.g., 'aiff', 'au', 'hcom', 'sndr', 'sndt', 'voc', 'wav', '8svx', 'sb', 'ub', or 'ul').
*   `framerate`: The sampling rate.
*   `nchannels`: The number of channels.
*   `nframes`: The number of frames (or -1 if unknown).
*   `sampwidth`: The sample width in bits (e.g., 'A' for A-LAW, 'U' for u-LAW).

[[programming/python/python]]