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Chapter 4

Python

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17 views

Chapter 4

Python

Uploaded by

archanasarangi5
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter-11

Python File Operation


A file is a named location used for storing data. For example, main.py is a
file that is always used to store Python code.
Python provides various functions to perform different file operations, a
process known as File Handling.

Opening Files in Python


In Python, we need to open a file first to perform any operations on it—we
use the open() function to do so. Let's look at an example:
Suppose we have a file named file1.txt .

Opening a File in Python


To open this file, we can use the open() function.

file1 = open("file1.txt")
Here, we have created a file object named file1 . Now, we can use this
object to work with files.
More on File Opening
Different File Opening Modes
Python allows us to open files in different modes (read, write, append, etc.), based
on which we can perform different file operations. For example,

file1 = open("file1.txt")

Here, we are opening the file in the read mode (we can only read the content, not
modify it).

Note: By default, Python files are open in read mode. Hence, the
code open("file1.txt", "r") is equivalent to open("file1.txt") .

Different Modes to Open a File in Python

Mode Description

r Open a file in reading mode (default)

w Open a file in writing mode

x Open a file for exclusive creation

a Open a file in appending mode (adds content at the end of the file)

t Open a file in text mode (default)

b Open a file in binary mode

+ Open a file in both read and write mode

Here are a few examples of opening a file in different modes,

# open a file in default mode (read and text)


file1 = open("test.txt") # equivalent to open("test.txt", "rt")
# open a file in write and text mode
file1 = open("test.txt",'w')

# open a file in read, write and binary mode

file1 = open("img.bmp",'+b') Opening a File Using its Full Path

We can also open a file using its full path.

file_path = "/home/user/documents/file1.txt"
file1 = open(file_path)

In this example, /home/user/documents/file1.txt is a full path to a file


named file1.txt located in the /home/user/documents/ directory.

Note: To learn more about directories, please visit Python Directory.

Reading Files in Python


After we open a file, we use the read() method to read its content. For
example,
Suppose we have a file named file1.txt.

Reading a File in Python


Now, let's read the content of the file.
# open a file in read mode
file1 = open("file1.txt")

# read the file content


read_content = file1.read()
print(read_content)

Output

This is a test file.


Hello from the test file.

In the above example, the code file1.read() reads the content of the file
and stores it in the read_content variable.

Note: If you need clarification about how the code file1.read() works,
please visit Working of Python Objects.

Writing to Files in Python


To write to a Python file, we need to open it in write mode using
the w parameter.
Suppose we have a file named file2.txt. Let's write to this file.

# open the file2.txt in write mode


file2 = open('file2.txt', 'w')

# write contents to the file2.txt file


file2.write('Programming is Fun.\n')
file2.write('Programiz for beginners\n')

When we run the above code, we will see the specified content inside the
file.
Writing to a Python File
Be Careful While Writing to a File
If we try to perform the write operation to a file that already has some content, the
new content will replace the existing ones. For example,

Suppose we have a file named file2.txt.

Writing to a Python File


Now let's write to this file.

# open the file2.txt in write mode


file2 = open('file2.txt', 'w')

# write new contents to the file2.txt file


file2.write('Learning Python is interesting.\n')
file2.write('File operations are useful.\n')

When we run the above code, the new content will replace any existing content
in file2.txt.
Writing to an Existing Python File

Note: If we try to open a file that doesn't exist, a new file is created, and
the write() method will add the content to the file.

Closing Files in Python


When we are done performing operations on the file, we need to close the
file properly. We use the close() function to close a file in Python. For
example,

# open a file
file1 = open("file1.txt", "r")

# read the file


read_content = file1.read()
print(read_content)

# close the file


file1.close()

Output

This is a test file.


Hello from the test file.

Note: Closing a file will free up the resources that are tied to the file.
Hence, it is a good programming practice to always close the file.
Opening a Python File Using with...open
In Python, there is a better way to open a file using with...open . For
example,

with open("file1.txt", "r") as file1:


read_content = file1.read()
print(read_content)

Output

This is a test file.


Hello from the test file.

Here, with...open automatically closes the file, so we don't have to use


the close() function.

Note: Since we don't have to worry about closing the file, make a habit of
using the with...open syntax.

More on Python File Operations


Exception Handling in Files
If an exception occurs while working with a file, the code exists without closing the
file. Hence, it's a good practice to use the try...finally block.
Let's see an example.

try:
file1 = open("file1.txt", "r")
read_content = file1.read()
print(read_content)

finally:
# close the file
file1.close()

Output

This is a test file.


Hello from the test file.

Here, the finally block is always executed, so we have kept the close() function
inside it. This ensures that the file will always be closed.
To learn more about exceptions, visit Python Exception Handling.

Note: Make a habit of using the with...open syntax while working with files so you
don't have to worry about closing the file.

Some Commonly Used File Methods


There are various methods available with a file object. Some of them have been
used in the above examples.

Here is the complete list of methods in text mode with a brief description:

Method Description

close() Closes an opened file

read(n) Reads the file content

seek(offset,from=SEEK Changes the file position to offset bytes, in reference to from


_SET) (start, current, end)

Returns an integer that represents the current position of the


tell()
file's object

write(s) Writes a string to the file

writelines(lines) Writes a list of lines to the file

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