Python 3 decode("utf-8") is adding newlines where there should only be spaces. I do I stop this?

Question

I am trying to read in some data from the output of a different program. I know I can open files and read them in however for the purpose of this question I have created the example file testdata.txt which looks as follows:

cat testdata.txt 
my.local\Sho Admin:13951:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Help:13952:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Production:13953:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Test:13954:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::

In my code I am trying to use subprocess.check_output to make a system call and read the output into variables. However when I do it without the decode("utf-8") its in the form of bytes. So in an effort to convert it to strings I used the decode("utf-8) however then it adds new lines where there are spaces.

output = subprocess.check_output(('cat', 'testdata.txt'), shell=False).decode('utf-8')
pprint.pprint((output))

When I excute this code I get these new lines.

('my.local\\Sho '
 'Admin:13951:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho '
 'Help:13952:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho '
 'Production:13953:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho '
 'Test:13954:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n')

I am trying to make the code look like this:

('my.local\\Sho Admin:13951:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho Help:13952:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho Production:13953:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho Test:13954:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n')

Answer 1

Thats 'pprint' doing it. Take a look at this little test code. And yea, you can tell pprint where to wrap, for example, pprint(test, width=300).

Code:

from pprint import pprint
test=r"""my.local\Sho Admin:13951:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Help:13952:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Production:13953:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Test:13954:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::"""
print(test)
pprint(test)

Output:

my.local\Sho Admin:13951:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Help:13952:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Production:13953:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
my.local\Sho Test:13954:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::
('my.local\\Sho '
 'Admin:13951:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho '
 'Help:13952:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho '
 'Production:13953:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::\n'
 'my.local\\Sho '
 'Test:13954:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:::')