Python File Operations: Reading, Writing, and Managing Files

File Reading: Opening the Door to Knowledge

Basic reading of a text file:

with open('example.txt', 'r') as file:
    content = file.read()
    print(content)

Reading a file line by line:

with open('example.txt', 'r') as file:
    for line in file:
        print(line.strip())

Reading a specific number of lines:

with open('example.txt', 'r') as file:
    lines = [next(file) for _ in range(5)]
    print(lines)

File Writing: Leaving Your Mark

Writing to a new file:

with open('output.txt', 'w') as file:
    file.write("Hello, world!\n")

Appending content to an existing file:

with open('output.txt', 'a') as file:
    file.write("More text to append.\n")

Writing multiple lines from a list:

lines = ["First line\n", "Second line\n"]
with open('output.txt', 'w') as file:
    file.writelines(lines)

File Operations: More Control

Check if a file exists:

import os
if os.path.exists('example.txt'):
    print("File exists!")

Rename a file:

os.rename('old_name.txt', 'new_name.txt')

Delete a file:

os.remove('example.txt')

Get file size:

size = os.path.getsize('example.txt')
print(f"File size: {size} bytes")

Binary File Operations

Read a binary file:

with open('image.png', 'rb') as file:
    image_data = file.read()
    print(type(image_data))

Write binary data to a file:

data = b'\x00\x01\x02\x03'
with open('binary_file.bin', 'wb') as file:
    file.write(data)

CSV File Operations

Read a CSV file:

import csv
with open('data.csv', newline='') as csvfile:
    reader = csv.reader(csvfile)
    for row in reader:
        print(row)

Write data to a CSV file:

import csv
data = [['Name', 'Age'], ['John', '25'], ['Jane', '30']]
with open('output.csv', 'w', newline='') as csvfile:
    writer = csv.writer(csvfile)
    writer.writerows(data)

JSON File Operations

Read a JSON file:

import json
with open('data.json') as file:
    data = json.load(file)
    print(data)

Write data to a JSON file:

import json
data = {"name": "John Doe", "age": 30}
with open('output.json', 'w') as file:
    json.dump(data, file)

Using shutil to Copy and Move Files

Copy a file:

import shutil
shutil.copy('source.txt', 'destination.txt')

Move a file:

import shutil
shutil.move('source.txt', 'new_destination.txt')

Using os to Delete Directories

Delete an empty directory:

import os
os.rmdir('empty_directory')

Recursively delete a directory and its contents:

import shutil
shutil.rmtree('directory_to_delete')

These examples showcase Python's powerful file handling capabilities, enabling efficient work with images, audio, and structured data across various projects.