File Types in Python

Python can work with various file types, from plain text to complex binary formats. Understanding file types helps you choose the right file mode and libraries for processing them efficiently.

Common File Types

• Text Files (.txt, .csv, .log): Human-readable. Use text modes like 'r', 'w', or 'a'.
• Binary Files (.jpg, .exe, .mp3): Raw bytes. Use binary modes like 'rb' or 'wb'.
• CSV Files (.csv): Comma-separated values, ideal for tabular data. Use the csv module.
• JSON Files (.json): Structured data in key-value format. Use the json module.
• Log Files (.log): Used for tracking application logs.
• Config Files (.ini, .yaml, .toml): Store application settings. Use relevant modules like configparser or pyyaml.
• Image Files (.png, .jpg): Use libraries like Pillow or open in binary mode.
• PDF and Word (.pdf, .docx): Require specialized libraries such as PyPDF2 or python-docx.
• Excel Files (.xlsx, .xls): Use openpyxl or pandas to read and write.
• HTML Files (.html): Use BeautifulSoup from bs4 to parse HTML content.

12 Python Examples for Working with Different File Types

Example 1: Reading a text file

with open('notes.txt', 'r') as file:
    print(file.read())

Example 2: Writing to a CSV file

import csv

with open('data.csv', 'w', newline='') as file:
    writer = csv.writer(file)
    writer.writerow(['Name', 'Score'])
    writer.writerow(['John', 90])

Example 3: Reading a JSON file

import json

with open('config.json', 'r') as file:
    data = json.load(file)
    print(data['username'])

Example 4: Writing JSON to a file

import json

data = {'username': 'sai', 'score': 100}
with open('output.json', 'w') as file:
    json.dump(data, file)

Example 5: Reading a binary file

with open('photo.jpg', 'rb') as file:
    data = file.read()
    print(len(data), "bytes read")

Example 6: Appending to a log file

with open('app.log', 'a') as file:
    file.write('New entry added\\n')

Example 7: Reading a config (.ini) file

import configparser

config = configparser.ConfigParser()
config.read('settings.ini')
print(config['DEFAULT']['theme'])

Example 8: Reading an image using Pillow

from PIL import Image

img = Image.open('image.png')
print(img.format, img.size)

Example 9: Extracting text from a PDF

import PyPDF2

with open('doc.pdf', 'rb') as file:
    reader = PyPDF2.PdfReader(file)
    print(reader.pages[0].extract_text())

Example 10: Reading a Word (.docx) file

from docx import Document

doc = Document('file.docx')
for para in doc.paragraphs:
    print(para.text)

Example 11: Reading an Excel file

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_excel('data.xlsx')
print(df.head())

Example 12: Parsing an HTML file

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

with open('example.html', 'r') as file:
    soup = BeautifulSoup(file, 'html.parser')
    print(soup.title.string)