One of the most important things you’ll learn in any new programming language is writing to files. This allows you to save user data for future reference, manage large data sets, or build useful tools like word processors and spreadsheets. Let’s learn how to write to a file in Python!
How to write to a file in Python – .txt files
The easiest way to write to a file in Python is to create a new text file. This allows you to store any string for later retrieval.
To do this, first open the file and add the content you want and close the file to complete.
Code
my_file = open("NewFile.txt", "w+")
my_File.write("Hello World!")
my_file.close()
In this example, “Hello world!” We opened a new file in which we wrote the words. And then close the file.
“w+” tells Python that we are writing to a new file. If the file already exists, that file is replaced. If the file He doesn’t. It already exists, then it will be created.
But what if you want to add to an existing file? In this case, you simply change “w+” to “a+”.
You can learn more useful methods in the previous article:
This will show you how to delete and move files!
Use only the following two lines to display the contents of the file.
Code
my_file = open("NewFile.txt", "r")
file_contents == my_file.read()
How to write to other file types
But what if you have another type of file that you want to work with other than a text file? What if you want to create a new spreadsheet file? Or a new Word document?
In many cases, you just need to learn the format used by a particular file type and emulate it. For example, CSV files are used to store spreadsheets. The name “CSV” actually refers to the way this format works: “comma-separated values.”
In short, each line represents a row in the database and contains a series of values separated by commas. Each comma represents the beginning of a new column or cell!
So you can save a lot of data by using the exact method you used to create your text file, but make sure you put commas and newlines in the right places. Then if you save the file as “.CSV” then when you click it it will open in Excel!
The same is true for many other file types. For example, you can create an HTML file this way, using triangle tags to define headers, bold text, and other basic formatting.
Many developers create their own formats to store specific data for their creations. Now you know how to write to a file in Python, regardless of the file type!
Learn more about CSV files in Python here:
How to write to a file with modules in Python
Of course, some files are going to have a more complex format than others. For example, if you want to write a .doc file in Python, they come unstuck! Open a Word document in a text editor and you’ll see that Microsoft uses a lot of confusing formatting and annotations to define the layout and add additional information.
This is where modules come in!
First, install the module you want through Pip. You can do this using the following command.
Code
pip install python doc-x
If you are running from the command line in Windows, try:
Code
python –m pip install doc-x
Now you can do the following in your Python code:
Code
import docx
my_doc = docx.Document()
my_doc.add_paragraph("Hello World!")
my_doc.save("D:/NewHelloDoc.docx")
This “Hello World!” He writes. to a document and then close it! You can also do other complex formatting:
Code
my_doc.add_heading("Header 1", 0)
my_doc.add_heading("Header 2", 1)
my_doc.add_heading("Header 3", 2)
my_doc.add_picture("D:/MyPicture.jpg", width=docx.shared.Inches(5), height=docx.shared.Inches(7))
No matter what type of file you want to work with, you’ll always find a module that can handle it for you. These are usually free to use and come with documentation that you can pass along! That’s one of the great things about coding in Python!
And that’s how to write to a file in Python! If you enjoy learning Python, why not take your learning to the next level? We have compiled a list of the best online Python courses where you can get some amazing deals. check it out!