wholefile

Wholefile is a term used in software engineering and data processing to describe an approach that treats a file as a single, cohesive unit for processing, editing, or validation. In a whole-file workflow, tools load the entire file into memory or a complete data structure, allowing analysis and transformations that rely on global context rather than sequential, line-by-line operations.

Common use cases include code formatting and linting that depend on the overall file structure, refactoring tools that must consider all occurrences within the file, and data transformations that require awareness of cross-field relationships or naming conventions across the entire document. Whole-file techniques are also relevant in compilers and static analysis tools that perform comprehensive checks, as well as in configuration or data files where atomic changes must preserve file-level integrity.

Advantages of the whole-file approach include improved accuracy for tasks that require global context, easier implementation of atomic edits that preserve consistency across the entire file, and better support for transformations that depend on the file’s overall structure. It can also simplify reproducibility, since updates are applied to a single unit rather than multiple incremental steps.

Challenges include higher memory usage and potential performance drawbacks for very large files, as well as reduced suitability for streaming pipelines or line-oriented workflows. When to use a whole-file approach depends on the task’s need for global context and the available resources to process the entire file.

See also: line-oriented processing, streaming, atomic edits.