Python 3.8: New Features for Working with Files

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This bad boy has some pretty sweet new features when it comes to working with files. And by “sweet,” I mean they make your life easier and less frustrating. 8.

To set the stage the new f-strings for opening files. In previous versions of Python, you had to use those ***** old string concatenation methods to open files with variables inside them. But now, thanks to f-strings, we can do it all in one line! Here’s an example:

# Set the filename variable to "my_file.txt"
filename = "my_file.txt"

# Use f-string to insert the value of the filename variable into the open() function
# Set the mode to "r" for read
with open(f"{filename}", mode="r") as file:
    # Do stuff with the file here
    # This code segment opens the file with the specified filename in read mode and assigns it to the variable "file" for further manipulation.

See how much cleaner that looks? No more messy string concatenation or trying to remember which quotes go where. Just use f-strings and let Python do the heavy lifting for you!

In addition to f-strings, Python 3.8 also introduced a new way of working with text files called “text mode.” This is especially useful when dealing with Unicode characters or non-ASCII encodings. Here’s an example:

# Define the filename variable as a string
filename = "my_file.txt"

# Open the file in read mode, specifying the encoding as UTF-8
with open(filename, mode="r", encoding="utf-8") as file:
    # Do stuff with the text here
    # For example, you can use the file variable to read or manipulate the text within the file

By specifying the `encoding` parameter, we can ensure that our text is properly decoded and displayed correctly in Python. No more weird characters or unexpected errors!

Finally, a new feature called “pathlib.” This module makes it easier to work with file paths by providing an object-oriented interface for manipulating them. Here’s an example:

# Import the "Path" class from the "pathlib" module
from pathlib import Path

# Create a Path object with the file name "my_file.txt"
filename = Path("my_file.txt")

# Create a new Path object with the file name "my_file_copy.txt" by using the "with_stem" method to add "_copy" to the original file name
new_name = filename.with_stem(f"{filename.stem}_copy")

# Print the new Path object
print(new_name)

# Output: PosixPath('my_file_copy.txt')

# The "Path" class provides an object-oriented interface for manipulating file paths
# The "with_stem" method allows us to modify the file name without changing the file extension
# The "f-string" allows us to insert the original file name into the new file name with the added "_copy" suffix

As you can see, pathlib makes it easy to manipulate file paths and create new ones based on existing ones. No more messy string concatenation or trying to remember which characters are allowed in a filename!

8. And if you’re feeling adventurous, why not try out some of these other new features like “assignment expressions” and “positional-only arguments”? Who knows what kind of crazy stuff you can do with those!

Later!

SICORPS