How To Read Text Files In Python Tecadmin

In this article, we will cover the following methods for reading a text file in Python:

Using the open() function and .read() method Using the open() function and .readlines() method Using the with statement and .read() method Using the with statement and .readlines() method

You can choose anyone the given methods based on your application scenario and environment. In this tutorial, I will read myfile.txt available in current directory that contains the following text: Let’s take a closer look at each of these methods one by one.

Method 1: Using the open() function and .read() method

The first method for reading a text file in Python uses the open() function and the .read() method. Here is an example of how to use this method:

In this example, we use the open() function to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). Then, we use the .read() method to read the contents of the file into a variable called contents. Finally, we close the file using the .close() method.

Method 2: Using the open() function and .readlines() method

The second method for reading a text file in Python involves using the open() function and the .readlines() method. This method is similar to the first method, but it returns a list of strings, where each string represents a line in the text file. Here is an example of how to use this method:

In this example, we use the open() function to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). Then, we use the .readlines() method to read the contents of the file into a list of strings called lines. Finally, we close the file using the .close() method.

Method 3: Using the with statement and .read() method

The third method for reading a text file in Python involves using the with the statement and the .read() method. This method is similar to the first method, but it automatically closes the file after the block of code within the with statement has been executed. Here is an example of how to use this method:

In this example, we use the with statement to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). The with statement automatically closes the file after the block of code within the with statement has been executed.

Method 4: Using the with statement and .readlines() method

The fourth method for reading a text file in Python involves using the with statement and the .readlines() method. This method is similar to the second method, but it automatically closes the file after the block of code within the with statement has been executed. Here is an example of how to use this method:

In this example, we use the with statement to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). The with statement automatically closes the file after the block of code within the with statement has been executed. Within the with statement, we use the .readlines() method to read the contents of the file into a list of strings called lines.

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered four different methods for reading a text file in Python: using the open() function and .read() method, using the open() function and .readlines() method, using the with statement and .read() method, and using the with statement and .readlines() method. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the best method to use will depend on your specific needs.