This Python Read Files lesson is for a beginner. Read the short notes, run each example, then change one name or number and run it again.
read() returns the whole file as one string. readline() returns one line. A for loop over the file yields lines without loading a huge file as a list first.
Always decide the encoding. encoding=\"utf-8\" avoids a surprise on another computer.
Example 1: Start here
On disk, the same loop is: for line in open(path, encoding=\"utf-8\"). Prefer with.
sample = "Python\nSQL\n" # text
print(sample.splitlines()) # one list item for each line
Example 2: The whole text
read() on a real file returns one string, just like sample here.
sample = "Python\nSQL\n" # text
print(sample)
Example 3: One line at a time
A for loop over a file yields one line per pass.
for line in "Python\nSQL\n".splitlines(): # repeat the indented lines once per value
print(line)
Example 4: Strip the line ending
strip removes the newline that readlines keeps at the end of each line.
for line in ["Python\n", "SQL\n"]: # repeat the indented lines once per value
print(line.strip()) # spaces at both ends are removed
On disk, the same loop is: for line in open(path, encoding=\"utf-8\"). Prefer with.
