This is what I have so far, everything I try keep stating that the file isn't open? Is there any basic way to fix this?
liNames = []
while 1 == 1:
liNames += [raw_input("Tell me a name. Type DONE(all caps) if done entering:")]
if "DONE" in liNames:
break
del liNames[-1]
print liNames
name_file = open("names.txt","w")
line = name_file.writelines(liNames)
for line in name_file:
print line
name_file.close()
To be concrete about what the comments have suggested, after this line:
line = name_file.writelines(liNames)
insert these new lines:
name_file.close()
name_file = open("names.txt", "r") # or plain open("names.txt")
With more experience, you'll write this as:
with open("names.txt","w") as name_file:
name_file.writelines(liNames)
with open("names.txt") as name_file:
for line in name_file:
print line
With even more experience ;-), you'll learn how to open a file for both reading and writing. But that's trickier, and especially tricky for text files on Windows.
As Tim Peters said, when you open the file in your code, you open it for writing. When you finish writing, the file remains open in this mode until you call "close()" in the last line.
As pointed, you should do this (one possible way):
name_file = open("names.txt","w")
line = name_file.writelines(liNames)
name_file.close()
name_file = open("names.txt")
for line in name_file:
print line
name_file.close()
Another way is using with statement:
with open("nmes.txt", "w") as name_file:
name_file.writelines(liNames)
This closes the file automatically when the with block finishes.
Solving your error:
You're only opening it in writing mode, to read it, open it in read mode:
name_file = open("names.txt", "r")
Or just:
name_file = open("names.txt")
Since python opens file in reading mode by default.
So the steps are:
After that, to read the file:
In short, like this:
name_file = open("names.txt","w")
line = name_file.writelines(liNames)
name_file.close()
name_file = open("names.txt")
for line in name_file:
print line
name_file.close()
To make thing look neater, use the with statement (It will automatically close the file)
Like this:
with open('names.txt', 'w') as file_name:
line = name_file.writelines(liNames)
with open('names.txt', 'r') as file_name:
for line in name_file:
print line
"w"). You can't read from a file opened for writing. Close the file after writing to it, then open it again for reading ("r", or just omit the file-mode argument - it defaults to reading).seek()too. Better for a beginner to close the file and open it again.