In this article, we will cover the following methods for reading a text file in Python:

• Using the `open()` function and `.read()` method
• Using the `open()` function and `.readlines()` method
• Using the `with` statement and `.read()` method
• Using the `with` statement and `.readlines()` method

You can choose anyone the given methods based on your application scenario and environment. In this tutorial, I will read `myfile.txt` available in current directory that contains the following text:

cat myfile.txt 

Output:
Hi
I'm Rahul
Welcome you on tecadmin.net

Let’s take a closer look at each of these methods one by one.

Method 1: Using the `open()` function and `.read()` method

The first method for reading a text file in Python uses the `open()` function and the `.read()` method. Here is an example of how to use this method:

# Open the text file in read mode
file = open('myfile.txt', 'r')

# Read the contents of the file into a variable
contents = file.read()

# Print contents value
print(contents)

# Close the file
file.close()

Output:
Hi
I'm Rahul
Welcome you on tecadmin.net

In this example, we use the `open()` function to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). Then, we use the `.read()` method to read the contents of the file into a variable called contents. Finally, we close the file using the .close() method.

Method 2: Using the `open()` function and `.readlines()` method

The second method for reading a text file in Python involves using the `open()` function and the `.readlines()` method. This method is similar to the first method, but it returns a list of strings, where each string represents a line in the text file. Here is an example of how to use this method:

# Open the text file in read mode
file = open('myfile.txt', 'r')

# Read the contents of the file into a list of strings
lines = file.readlines()

# Print the lines
print(lines)

# Close the file
file.close()

Output:
['Hi\n', "I'm Rahul\n", 'Welcome you on tecadmin.net\n']

In this example, we use the `open()` function to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). Then, we use the `.readlines()` method to read the contents of the file into a list of strings called lines. Finally, we close the file using the .close() method.

Method 3: Using the `with` statement and `.read()` method

The third method for reading a text file in Python involves using the with the statement and the `.read()` method. This method is similar to the first method, but it automatically closes the file after the block of code within the `with` statement has been executed. Here is an example of how to use this method:

# Open the text file in read mode using the with statement
with open('myfile.txt', 'r') as file:
    # Read the contents of the file into a variable
    contents = file.read()
    print(contents)

Output:
Hi
I'm Rahul
Welcome you on tecadmin.net

In this example, we use the `with` statement to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). The `with` statement automatically closes the file after the block of code within the `with` statement has been executed.

Method 4: Using the `with` statement and `.readlines()` method

The fourth method for reading a text file in Python involves using the `with` statement and the `.readlines()` method. This method is similar to the second method, but it automatically closes the file after the block of code within the `with` statement has been executed. Here is an example of how to use this method:

# Open the text file in read mode using the with statement
with open('myfile.txt', 'r') as file:
    # Read the contents of the file into a list of strings
    lines = file.readlines()
    print(lines)

Output:
['Hi\n', "I'm Rahul\n", 'Welcome you on tecadmin.net\n']

In this example, we use the `with` statement to open the text file in read mode (the ‘r’ parameter indicates that we want to read the file). The `with` statement automatically closes the file after the block of code within the `with` statement has been executed. Within the `with` statement, we use the `.readlines()` method to read the contents of the file into a list of strings called lines.

Conclusion

In this article, we have covered four different methods for reading a text file in Python: using the `open()` function and `.read()` method, using the `open()` function and `.readlines()` method, using the `with` statement and `.read()` method, and using the `with` statement and `.readlines()` method. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the best method to use will depend on your specific needs.

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