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Python3 File seek() Method

Python3 File Methods


Overview

The seek() method is used to move the file read pointer to a specified position.

Syntax

The syntax for the seek() method is as follows:

fileObject.seek(offset[, whence])

Parameters

Return Value

If the operation is successful, it returns the new file position. If the operation fails, the function returns -1.

Example

The following example demonstrates the use of the seek() method:

Example

>>> f = open('workfile', 'rb+')
>>> f.write(b'0123456789abcdef')
16
>>> f.seek(5)      # Move to the sixth byte of the file
5
>>> f.read(1)
b'5'
>>> f.seek(-3, 2)  # Move to the third-to-last byte of the file
13
>>> f.read(1)
b'd'

The content of the file tutorialpro.txt is as follows:

1:www.tutorialpro.org
2:www.tutorialpro.org
3:www.tutorialpro.org
4:www.tutorialpro.org
5:www.tutorialpro.org

Loop through the content of the file:

Example

#!/usr/bin/python3

# Open file
fo = open("tutorialpro.txt", "r+")
print ("File name: ", fo.name)

line = fo.readline()
print ("Data read: %s" % (line))

# Reset file read pointer to the beginning
fo.seek(0, 0)
line = fo.readline()
print ("Data read: %s" % (line))

# Close file
fo.close()

The output of the above example is:

File name:  tutorialpro.txt
Data read: 1:www.tutorialpro.org

Data read: 1:www.tutorialpro.org

Python3 File Methods

❮ Python Os Lchown Ref Math Lgamma ❯