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Python file access modes

In Python, file access modes are specific strings passed to the open() function to determine the capabilities permitted on a file object, such as reading, writing, or creating.^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md] These modes define whether a file is opened for modification, whether the file pointer is placed at the beginning or end, and how the system behaves if a file does or does not exist.^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md]

Modes Overview

The open() function generally accepts at least two arguments: the file path and the mode string.^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md]

Read Mode ("r")

This is the default mode if no mode is specified^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md]. It opens a file for reading only. If the file does not exist at the specified path, the operation raises a FileNotFoundError^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md].

Append Mode ("a")

This mode opens a file for appending data^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md]. Unlike read mode, if the target file does not exist, append mode will create it automatically^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md].

Write Mode ("w")

Write mode opens a file for writing content^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md]. Like append mode, it will create a new file if one does not exist^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md].

Create Mode ("x")

This mode is strictly used to create a new file^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md]. It differs from write and append modes in that it will return an error if the file specified already exists^[400-devops__09-Scripting-Language__python__introduction__part-2.files__README.md].

  • [[Python]]
  • [[File Handling]]
  • [[CSV]]

Sources

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