code: def _read_table_file(self, table_file):
          
          self._table_file = table_file
          if os.path.exists(self._table_file):
              self._table = Table.read(self._table_file)
          else:
              self._table = FileHandle.make_table({})
          self._fill_cache()
docs: Read an `astropy.table.Table` to set up the archive