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Step-by-Step Guide to Reading Different Files in Python

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 In the world of data science, automation, and general programming, working with files is unavoidable. Whether you’re dealing with CSV reports, JSON APIs, Excel sheets, or text logs, Python provides rich and easy-to-use libraries for reading different file formats. In this guide, we’ll explore how to read different files in Python , with code examples and best practices. 1. Reading Text Files ( .txt ) Text files are the simplest form of files. Python’s built-in open() function handles them effortlessly. Example: # Open and read a text file with open ( "sample.txt" , "r" ) as file: content = file.read() print (content) Explanation: "r" mode means read . with open() automatically closes the file when done. Best Practice: Always use with to handle files to avoid memory leaks. 2. Reading CSV Files ( .csv ) CSV files are widely used for storing tabular data. Python has a built-in csv module and a powerful pandas library. Using cs...

Sets Vs Lists Python Programmer Tips

Sets Vs Lists Python Programmer Tips


Sets are only useful when trying to ensure unique items are preserved. Before sets were available, it was common to process items and check if they exist in a list (or dictionary) before adding them.

List example


Here unique is an empty list. Every time I compare with this list, and if it is not duplicated then the input item will append to the unique list. 

>>> unique = [] 
>>> for name in ['srini', 'srini', 'rao', 'srini']:
 ... if name not in unique: 
... unique.append(name) 
... >>> unique ['srini', 'rao']


There is no need to do this when using sets. Instead of appending you add to a set:

Set example


>>> for name in ['srini', 'srini', 'rao', 'srini']:
... unique.add(name) 
... 
>>> unique {'srini', 'rao'}


Just like tuples and lists, interacting with sets have some differences on how to access their items. You can't index them like lists and tuples, but you can iterate over them without issues. 


The only reason I use sets is to ensure there aren't any duplicates. If that is not needed, a list is preferable.


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