Before Python can access a file, it must open the file. This establishes a connection between Python and the file. To open a file, use the open() function:

myfile = open("myfile.txt", "r")

open() requires two parameters:

• The name of the file to be opened;
• The mode, which indicates whether the file is being opened for reading, writing or both.

When you specify the file name, you can specify a complete directory path:

myfile = open("C:/Documents and Settings/Administrator/My Documents/myfile.txt", "r")

If you specify the file name without a directory path, the current folder or directory (the one containing the Python file) is used.

The mode specifies how Python will be interacting with the file. The following modes are available:

Append b to the mode if you are reading or writing a binary file.