File Handling in Python

File handling is an essential skill in Python programming, especially in robotics and computer vision applications. It allows us to read data from files, write data to files, and manipulate files to store and retrieve information.

Reading Files

To read data from a file, we can use the open() function in Python. The open() function takes two arguments: the name of the file and the mode ('r' for read mode). Here's an example:

1# Open the file in read mode
2file = open('data.txt', 'r')
3
4# Read the contents of the file
5content = file.read()
6
7# Close the file
8file.close()
9
10# Print the contents of the file
11print(content)

In the example above, we use the open() function to open the file named 'data.txt' in read mode. Then we use the read() method to read the contents of the file and store it in the content variable. Finally, we close the file using the close() method and print the contents.

Writing Files

To write data to a file, we can use the open() function with the mode set to 'w' for write mode. Here's an example:

1# Open the file in write mode
2file = open('output.txt', 'w')
3
4# Write data to the file
5file.write('Hello, world!')
6
7# Close the file
8file.close()

In the example above, we use the open() function to open the file named 'output.txt' in write mode. Then we use the write() method to write the string 'Hello, world!' to the file. Finally, we close the file using the close() method.

File Manipulation

Python provides various methods and functions for file manipulation. For example, we can check if a file exists using the exists() function from the os.path module:

1import os
2
3# Check if a file exists
4if os.path.exists('data.txt'):
5    print('File exists!')
6else:
7    print('File does not exist!')

We can also delete a file using the remove() function from the os module:

1import os
2
3# Delete a file
4os.remove('output.txt')

These are just a few examples of file handling operations in Python. With file handling skills, you can efficiently work with data stored in files and perform operations required for robotics and computer vision applications.