Python Mastery: 30 Best Practices for Reading, Writing, and Manipulating Files in Python

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Working with files is a fundamental aspect of many Python applications. Whether you’re reading configuration files, processing data, or storing information, adopting best practices ensures that your code is efficient, robust, and maintainable. In this guide, we’ll explore a set of best practices to help you handle file operations effectively in Python.

I. Reading Files:

1. Use with statement for file handling:

• Always use the with statement when working with files to ensure proper resource management and automatic closing of the file.
• It simplifies code and helps in avoiding resource leaks.

with open('file.txt', 'r') as file:
    # File operations go here

2. Handle exceptions:

• Wrap file operations in a try-except block to handle potential exceptions, such as FileNotFoundError or PermissionError.
• This ensures that your program gracefully manages scenarios where the file might not be available or accessible.

try:
    with open('file.txt', 'r') as file:
        # File operations go here
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("File not found.")