A Tutorial on Working with File I/O in Python

Learn how to handle files in Python using built-in functions and methods for opening, reading, writing, and closing files.

Introduction

File I/O (Input/Output) is a fundamental aspect of programming that allows you to interact with files on your system. In Python, working with files is straightforward thanks to built-in functions and methods that make it easy to open, read, write, and close files.

This tutorial will cover the basics of working with file I/O in Python, along with practical code examples to illustrate each concept.

Opening a File

Before you can read from or write to a file, you must first open it. To open a file in Python, use the built-in open() function. The open() function takes two main arguments: the file path and the mode.

Syntax:

file_object = open(file_path, mode)

• file_path: The path to the file you want to open.
• mode: The mode in which you want to open the file.

Common File Modes:

• "r": Read mode. This mode allows you to read from a file but not write to it.
• "w": Write mode. This mode allows you to write to a file but not read from it. If the file does not exist, it will be created. If it does exist, its contents will be deleted.
• "a": Append mode. This mode allows you to write…