matplotlib
diff --git a/‎boilerplate.py
+45-51 b/‎boilerplate.py
+45-51
@@ -19,14 +19,11 @@
 import os
 import inspect
 import random
-import re
-import sys
 import types
 
 # import the local copy of matplotlib, not the installed one
 #sys.path.insert(0, './lib')
 from matplotlib.axes import Axes
-from matplotlib.cbook import dedent
 
 
 # this is the magic line that must exist in pyplot, after which the boilerplate content will be
@@ -37,13 +34,12 @@
                                'matplotlib', 'pyplot.py')
 
 
+AUTOGEN_MSG = """
+# This function was autogenerated by boilerplate.py.  Do not edit as
+# changes will be lost"""
 
-def boilerplate_gen():
-    """Generator of lines for the automated part of pyplot."""
 
-    _fmtplot = """
-# This function was autogenerated by boilerplate.py.  Do not edit as
-# changes will be lost
+PLOT_TEMPLATE = AUTOGEN_MSG + """
 @autogen_docstring(Axes.%(func)s)
 def %(func)s(%(argspec)s):
     %(ax)s = gca()
@@ -59,17 +55,38 @@ def %(func)s(%(argspec)s):
         %(ax)s.hold(%(washold)s)
     %(mappable)s
     return %(ret)s
-    """
-    
-    _fmtmisc = """
-# This function was autogenerated by boilerplate.py.  Do not edit as
-# changes will be lost
+"""
+
+
+# Used for misc functions such as cla/legend etc.
+MISC_FN_TEMPLATE = AUTOGEN_MSG + """
 @docstring.copy_dedent(Axes.%(func)s)
 def %(func)s(%(argspec)s):
     %(ret)s =  gca().%(func)s(%(call)s)
     draw_if_interactive()
     return %(ret)s
-    """
+"""
+
+
+# Used for colormap functions
+CMAP_TEMPLATE = AUTOGEN_MSG + """
+def {name}():
+    '''
+    set the default colormap to {name} and apply to current image if any.
+    See help(colormaps) for more information
+    '''
+    rc('image', cmap='{name}')
+    im = gci()
+
+    if im is not None:
+        im.set_cmap(cm.{name})
+    draw_if_interactive()
+
+"""
+
+
+def boilerplate_gen():
+    """Generator of lines for the automated part of pyplot."""
 
     # these methods are all simple wrappers of Axes methods by the same
     # name.
@@ -168,17 +185,12 @@ def format_value(value):
                 return '=mlab.' + value.func_name
             if value.func_name == 'mean':
                 return '=np.' + value.func_name
-            raise ValueError, ('default value %s unknown to boilerplate.formatvalue'
-                               % value)
+            raise ValueError(('default value %s unknown to boilerplate.' + \
+                             'formatvalue') % value)
         return '='+repr(value)
 
-    def remove_final_whitespace(string):
-        """
-        Return a copy of *string* with final whitespace removed from each line.
-        """
-        return '\n'.join(x.rstrip() for x in string.split('\n'))
-    
-    for fmt,cmdlist in (_fmtplot,_plotcommands),(_fmtmisc,_misccommands):
+    for fmt, cmdlist in [(PLOT_TEMPLATE, _plotcommands),
+                         (MISC_FN_TEMPLATE, _misccommands)]:
         for func in cmdlist:
             # For some commands, an additional line is needed to set the
             # color map
@@ -201,13 +213,13 @@ def remove_final_whitespace(string):
                 call.append('**'+varkw)
             call = ', '.join(call)
 
-            # Add a hold keyword argument if needed (fmt is _fmtplot) and
+            # Add a hold keyword argument if needed (fmt is PLOT_TEMPLATE) and
             # possible (if *args is used, we can't just add a hold
             # argument in front of it since it would gobble one of the
             # arguments the user means to pass via *args)
             if varargs:
                 sethold = "hold = %(varkw)s.pop('hold', None)" % locals()
-            elif fmt is _fmtplot:
+            elif fmt is PLOT_TEMPLATE:
                 args.append('hold')
                 defaults = defaults + (None,)
                 sethold = ''
@@ -219,7 +231,7 @@ def remove_final_whitespace(string):
 
             # A gensym-like facility in case some function takes an
             # argument named washold, ax, or ret
-            washold,ret,ax = 'washold', 'ret', 'ax'
+            washold, ret, ax = 'washold', 'ret', 'ax'
             bad = set(args) | set((varargs, varkw))
             while washold in bad or ret in bad or ax in bad:
                 washold = 'washold' + str(random.randrange(10**12))
@@ -230,29 +242,11 @@ def remove_final_whitespace(string):
             # bail out if they are used as argument names
             for reserved in ('gca', 'gci', 'draw_if_interactive'):
                 if reserved in bad:
-                    raise ValueError, \
-                        'Axes method %s has kwarg named %s' % (func, reserved)
-    
-            yield remove_final_whitespace(fmt%locals())
-    
-    # define the colormap functions
-    _fmtcmap = """
-# This function was autogenerated by boilerplate.py.  Do not edit as
-# changes will be lost
-def %(name)s():
-    '''
-    set the default colormap to %(name)s and apply to current image if any.
-    See help(colormaps) for more information
-    '''
-    rc('image', cmap='%(name)s')
-    im = gci()
-
-    if im is not None:
-        im.set_cmap(cm.%(name)s)
-    draw_if_interactive()
-
-"""
+                    msg = 'Axes method %s has kwarg named %s' % (func, reserved)
+                    raise ValueError(msg)
 
+            yield fmt % locals()
+        
     cmaps = (
         'autumn',
         'bone',
@@ -272,22 +266,22 @@ def %(name)s():
     )
     # add all the colormaps (autumn, hsv, ....)
     for name in cmaps:
-        yield _fmtcmap%locals()
+        yield CMAP_TEMPLATE.format(name=name)
 
 
 def build_pyplot():
     pyplot_path = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), 'lib', 
                                'matplotlib', 'pyplot.py')
 
-    pyplot_orig = file(pyplot_path, 'r').readlines()
+    pyplot_orig = open(pyplot_path, 'r').readlines()
 
 
     try:
         pyplot_orig = pyplot_orig[:pyplot_orig.index(PYPLOT_MAGIC_HEADER)+1]
     except IndexError:
         raise ValueError('The pyplot.py file *must* have the exact line: %s' % PYPLOT_MAGIC_HEADER)
 
-    pyplot = file(pyplot_path, 'w')
+    pyplot = open(pyplot_path, 'w')
     pyplot.writelines(pyplot_orig)
     pyplot.write('\n')