18. File manipulation

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File Manipulation in Logic Programming

In programming, file manipulation is an essential skill that allows programmers to read, write, update, and delete files. This chapter of our e-book course will focus on explaining in detail how to manipulate files, from basics to advanced.

What is File Manipulation?

File manipulation refers to the process of creating, reading, updating, and deleting files using a computer program. This is done using various functions and methods available in the standard libraries of the programming language you are using.

Why is File Manipulation Important?

File manipulation is a fundamental part of programming because it allows programs to interact with files on the computer's file system. This is useful for a variety of tasks, such as saving data for future use, reading data from existing files, and much more.

How to Manipulate Files

File handling varies from one programming language to another. However, there are some universal concepts you need to understand to be able to manipulate files effectively.

Opening Files

Before you can read or write to a file, you need to open it. This is usually done using a function like open() or fopen(), which returns a file object that you can use to read from or write to the file.

Reading Files

Once the file is open, you can read its contents using a function like read() or fread(). These functions usually return the contents of the file as a string, which you can then process as you wish.

Writing to Files

To write to a file, you can use a function like write() or fwrite(). These functions accept a string and write it to the file. If the file already contains data, these functions usually overwrite the existing data.

File Closing

Once you've finished reading or writing to a file, it's important to close it using a function like close() or fclose(). This frees up resources that the operating system has reserved for handling the file.

Practical Example

Let's consider a practical example of file manipulation in Python:

# Opening the file
file = open("example.txt", "w")

# Write to file
file.write("Hello World!")

# Closing the file
file.close()

This simple example opens a file called "example.txt" for writing, writes the string "Hello World!" in the file, and then close the file.

Conclusion

File manipulation is an essential programming skill that allows programs to interact with the computer's file system. Learning to handle files correctly is an important step in becoming an effective programmer.

In the next chapter of our e-book course, we'll explore more advanced concepts in file manipulation, including reading and writing binary files, manipulating large files, and much more. Stay tuned!

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1919. Object-oriented programming: basic concepts