Read a file in Python

This post will discuss how to read a text file in Python.

1. Using `open()` function

A simple solution is to open the file in reading mode 'r' using the built-in open() function. Since the mode in which the file is opened defaults to 'r', you can skip it.

f = open('file.txt')

text = f.read()

print(text)

f.close()

Download Code

The above syntax requires you to explicitly close the file using the close() function. This is not considered Pythonic, and you should use the with keyword, which automatically closes the file once it is done with, even when an exception is raised. Here’s an equivalent code using the with statement:

with open('file.txt') as f:

text = f.read()

print(text)

Download Code

2. Using `pathlib` module

You can also use the pathlib module with Python 3.4. The Path.read_text() function opens the file in text mode, reads it, and close the file.

import pathlib

text = pathlib.Path('file.txt').read_text()

print(text)

Download Code

3. Using `io` module

Finally, you can call the io.open() function, which is an alias for the built-in open() function.

import io

with io.open("file.txt", mode='r', encoding='utf-8') as f:

text = f.read()

print(text)

Download Code

That’s all about reading a file in Python.

1. Using open() function

2. Using pathlib module

3. Using io module

Share this:

1. Using `open()` function

2. Using `pathlib` module

3. Using `io` module