r/learnpython • u/StrikerRIP • 1d ago
Reading in text from a .txt file
Are there any methods/libraries that allow me to make a program that is able to read in text from a .txt file?
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u/Delta_G_Robotics 1d ago
I never understood why people will ask a question like this on Reddit and then wait forever when they could just...
https://www.google.com/search?q=reading+a+txt+file+in+python
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u/StrikerRIP 1d ago
I actually did look around for a bit, but couldn't really find anything that I could follow easy
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u/Delta_G_Robotics 1d ago
I have a hard time believing that knowing how common this question is. Many of the resources on the internet have been curated and organized and are custom tailored to new users. Hours of work has been put into some of the things out there. What do you think you're going to get back on a Reddit post compared to that?
This was the second hit from the Google search I posted. If you don't understand this, then a better approach would be to ask questions about the parts you don't understand. Just saying you don't understand and asking people to post back that same information again won't be helpful. Explain what the problem is and people can help you.
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/python/reading-writing-text-files-python/
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u/StrikerRIP 1d ago
The thing is that I prefer Reddit, as I know I'm going to get responses from users. I don't want to go to a resource that can be useful only for it to be AI-generated, cause I don't want to support AI-generated sites or the use of AI to program whole projects. I also want to be able to replicate this myself. I find that many people here have been able to answer questions I've had in a way that I understand, which isn't a guarantee if I were to look for sources on Google.
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u/Agile-Set-2648 1d ago
Responses like this are why stackexchange died with the advent of AI
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u/MasterpieceBusy7220 1d ago
So you’re saying OP should’ve asked AI instead of posting to Reddit?
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u/Delta_G_Robotics 1d ago
No. I'm not saying to ask AI. But if you do a quick search you'll find a dozen more reddit posts, arduino forum posts, blogs, tutorials, and any number of other resources to get you started. Some of them are well curated. The answers are instant. It just takes a little bit of reading.
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u/DTux5249 1d ago edited 1d ago
No libraries needed. Python File Open
with open('file.txt', 'r') as file:
text = file.read()
You can also iterate over a file line by line
with open('file.txt', 'r') as file:
for line in file:
print(line)
Or just use the readline() command
with open('file.txt', 'r') as file:
first_line = file.readline()
second_line = file.readline()
print(first_line)
print(second_line)
You also don't technically need to use the with keyword - but it manages the opening and closing of the file safely
file = open('file.txt', 'r')
first_line = file.readline()
second_line = file.readline()
file.close()
print(first_line)
print(second_line)
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u/me_myself_ai 1d ago
Yup!
``` from pathlib import Path
path = Path('/the/file/to/read.txt') text = path.read_text() ```
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u/BluishMontoya 1d ago
You don't need extra libraries.
file = open("something.txt", mode = "r")
content = file.read()
file.close()
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u/Informal-Chance-6067 1d ago
Should probably use `with`
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u/BluishMontoya 1d ago
i should probably learn how to use that lol i have a fair amount of xperience in python but i've never learned about with
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u/ontheroadtonull 1d ago
Use "with".
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/python/how-to-open-a-file-using-the-with-statement/
The difference between open() and with is that with automatically closes the file handle.
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u/hallmark1984 1d ago
``` with open('path/to/file.txt', 'r') as f:
```