Reference to Python File Methods
Python offers a comprehensive set of built-in methods for handling file operations. In this guide, you'll find an alphabetical list of all standard file methods, derived from their core parent classes. These methods, often referred to as file functions, are integral to Python’s file handling capabilities.
Alphabetical Reference
The following table lists all 17 built-in Python functions in alphabetical order.
| Method | Description |
|---|---|
| close() | Closes the file, freeing any system resources associated with it. |
| detach() | Separates and returns the underlying raw stream from the buffer. |
| fileno() | Returns the file descriptor number used by the operating system for the file stream. |
| flush() | Clears the internal buffer, ensuring all data is written to the file. |
| isatty() | Checks if the file stream is connected to an interactive device like a terminal. |
| read() | Reads and returns the entire content of the file or a specified number of bytes. |
| readable() | Returns True if the file stream supports reading operations. |
| readline() | Reads and returns a single line from the file. |
| readlines() | Reads all lines from the file and returns them as a list. |
| reconfigure() | Updates the configuration of the file stream, such as encoding, errors, or newline handling. |
| seek() | Moves the file cursor to a specified position within the file. |
| seekable() | Returns True if the file stream supports random access (seeking). |
| tell() | Returns the current position of the file cursor. |
| truncate() | Resizes the file to the specified length, truncating or extending it as needed. |
| writable() | Returns True if the file stream supports writing operations. |
| write() | Writes the specified string to the file. |
| writelines() | Writes a list of strings to the file consecutively. |
Dynamically Get Python File Methods
The Python standard library includes a comprehensive set of built-in methods for working with files. Fortunately, you can dynamically retrieve the most current and complete list of these file-related methods directly from your Python environment.
Use the following code snippet to get the up-to-date collection of file methods.
Get Python File Methods
# Get the list of file methods
import io
file_methods = [
method for method in dir(io.TextIOWrapper)
if callable(getattr(io.TextIOWrapper, method))
and not method.startswith('_')
]
print(file_methods)
['close', 'detach', 'fileno', 'flush', 'isatty', 'read', 'readable', 'readline', 'readlines', 'reconfigure', 'seek', 'seekable', 'tell', 'truncate', 'writable', 'write', 'writelines']