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13538_253_125_Python__file_handling_M3

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13538_253_125_Python__file_handling_M3

Uploaded by

sankeerthmanmadhan2002
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Python File Handling

 Python too supports file handling and allows users to handle


files i.e., to read and write files, along with many other file
handling options, to operate on files.
 Each line of code includes a sequence of characters and they
form a text file
 Each line of a file is terminated with a special character, called
the EOL or End of Line characters like comma {,} or newline
character.
 It ends the current line and tells the interpreter a new one has
begun. Let’s start with the reading and writing files.
Advantages of File Handling
 Versatility: File handling in Python allows you to perform a
wide range of operations, such as creating, reading, writing,
appending, renaming, and deleting files.
 Flexibility: File handling in Python is highly flexible, as it
allows you to work with different file types (e.g. text files,
binary files, CSV files, etc.), and to perform different
operations on files (e.g. read, write, append, etc.).
 User–friendly: Python provides a user-friendly interface for
file handling, making it easy to create, read, and manipulate
files.
 Cross-platform: Python file-handling functions work across
different platforms (e.g. Windows, Mac, Linux), allowing for
seamless integration and compatibility.
Disadvantages of File Handling
 Error-prone: File handling operations in Python can be
prone to errors, especially if the code is not carefully written
or if there are issues with the file system (e.g. file
permissions, file locks, etc.).
 Security risks: File handling in Python can also pose
security risks, especially if the program accepts user input
that can be used to access or modify sensitive files on the
system.
 Complexity: File handling in Python can be complex,
especially when working with more advanced file formats or
operations. Careful attention must be paid to the code to
ensure that files are handled properly and securely.
 Performance: File handling operations in Python can be
slower than other programming languages, especially when
dealing with large files or performing complex operations.
Working of open() Function in Python
Before performing any operation on the file like reading or writing,
first, we have to open that file. For this, we should use Python’s
inbuilt function open() but at the time of opening, we have to specify
the mode, which represents the purpose of the opening file.
f = open(filename, mode)
Where the following mode is supported:
1.r: open an existing file for a read operation.
2.w: open an existing file for a write
operation. If the file already contains some
data then it will be overridden but if the file
is not present then it creates the file as
well.
3.a: open an existing file for append
operation. It won’t override existing data.
4. r+: To read and write data into the file.
The previous data in the file will be
overridden.
5.w+: To write and read data. It will override
existing data.
6.a+: To append and read data from the file.
It won’t override existing data.

Working in Read mode


There is more than one way to read a file in Python. Let
us see how we can read the content of a file in read
mode.
Example 1: The open command will open the file in
the read mode and the for loop will print each line
present in the file.
 Python3

# a file named "f1", will be opened with


the reading mode.
file = open('f1.txt', 'r')

# This will print every line one by one


in the file
for each in file:
print (each)
Output:
HI GOOD MORNING STUDENTS

Example 2: In this example, we will extract a string that contains all


characters in the file then we can use file.read().
 Python3

# Python code to illustrate read() mode


file = open("f1.txt", "r")
print (file.read())

Output:
HI GOOD MORNING STUDENTS
Example 3: In this example, we will see how we can read a file
using the with statement.
 Python3

# Python code to illustrate with()


with open("f1.txt") as file:
data = file.read()

print(data)

Output: HI GOOD MORNING STUDENTS

Example 4: Another way to read a file is to call a certain number of


characters like in the following code the interpreter will read the first
five characters of stored data and return it as a string:
 Python3

# Python code to illustrate read() mode character wise


file = open("f1.txt", "r")
print (file.read(5))

Output:
Hello
Example 5:
We can also split lines while reading files in Python. The split()
function splits the variable when space is encountered. You can also
split using any characters as you wish.
 Python3

# Python code to illustrate split() function


with open("f1.txt", "r") as file:
data = file.readlines()
for line in data:
word = line.split()
print (word)

Output:
['Hi', 'good']
['morning']
['students']
Creating a File using the write() Function
Just like reading a file in Python, there are a number of ways to write
in a file in Python. Let us see how we can write the content of a file
using the write() function in Python.
Working in Write Mode
Let’s see how to create a file and how the write mode works.
Example 1: In this example, we will see how the write mode and
the write() function is used to write in a file. The close() command
terminates all the resources in use and frees the system of this
particular program.
 Python3

# Python code to create a file


file = open('f1.txt','w')
file.write("This is the write command")
file.write("It allows us to write in a particular file")
file.close()

Output:
This is the write commandIt allows us to write in a particular
file
Example 2: We can also use the written statement along with the
with() function.
 Python3

# Python code to illustrate with() alongwith write()


with open("file.txt", "w") as f:
f.write("Hello World!!!")

Output:
Hello World!!!
Working of Append Mode
Let us see how the append mode works.
Example: For this example, we will use the file created in the
previous example.
 Python3

# Python code to illustrate append() mode


file = open('f1.txt', 'a')
file.write("This will add this line")
file.close()

Output:
This is the write commandIt allows us to write in a particular
fileThis will add this line
There are also various other commands in file handling that are
used to handle various tasks:
rstrip(): This function strips each line of a file off spaces
from the right-hand side.
lstrip(): This function strips each line of a file off spaces
from the left-hand side.
It is designed to provide much cleaner syntax and exception
handling when you are working with code. That explains why it’s
good practice to use them with a statement where applicable. This is
helpful because using this method any files opened will be closed
automatically after one is done, so auto-cleanup.
Implementing all the functions in File Handling
In this example, we will cover all the concepts that we have seen
above. Other than those, we will also see how we can delete a file
using the remove() function from Python os module.
 Python3

import os

def create_file(filename):
try:
with open(filename, 'w') as f:
f.write('Hello, world!\n')
print("File " + filename + " created successfully.")
except IOError:
print("Error: could not create file " + filename)

def read_file(filename):
try:
with open(filename, 'r') as f:
contents = f.read()
print(contents)
except IOError:
print("Error: could not read file " + filename)

def append_file(filename, text):


try:
with open(filename, 'a') as f:
f.write(text)
print("Text appended to file " + filename + " successfully.")
except IOError:
print("Error: could not append to file " + filename)

def rename_file(filename, new_filename):


try:
os.rename(filename, new_filename)
print("File " + filename + " renamed to " + new_filename + "
successfully.")
except IOError:
print("Error: could not rename file " + filename)

def delete_file(filename):
try:
os.remove(filename)
print("File " + filename + " deleted successfully.")
except IOError:
print("Error: could not delete file " + filename)

if __name__ == '__main__':
filename = "example.txt"
new_filename = "new_example.txt"

create_file(filename)
read_file(filename)
append_file(filename, "This is some additional text.\n")
read_file(filename)
rename_file(filename, new_filename)
read_file(new_filename)
delete_file(new_filename)

Output:
File example.txt created successfully.
Hello, world!

Text appended to file example.txt successfully.


Hello, world!
This is some additional text.

File example.txt renamed to new_example.txt successfully.


Hello, world!
This is some additional text.

File new_example.txt deleted successfully.

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