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Python File I/O

Python has several functions for creating, reading, updating, and deleting files.

Opening a File

The open() function is used to open a file. It takes two arguments: the file name and the mode.

There are four different modes for opening a file:

  • "r" - Read - Default value. Opens a file for reading, error if the file does not exist.
  • "a" - Append - Opens a file for appending, creates the file if it does not exist.
  • "w" - Write - Opens a file for writing, creates the file if it does not exist.
  • "x" - Create - Creates the specified file, returns an error if the file exists.
f = open("demofile.txt", "r")

Reading a File

The read() method is used to read the content of a file.

f = open("demofile.txt", "r")
print(f.read())

Writing to a File

The write() method is used to write to a file.

f = open("demofile2.txt", "a")
f.write("Now the file has more content!")
f.close()

Closing a File

It is a good practice to always close the file when you are done with it.

f = open("demofile.txt", "r")
print(f.read())
f.close()

You can also use the with statement, which will automatically close the file for you.

with open("demofile.txt", "r") as f:
  print(f.read())