Handling files in Python

In Python, the built-in open function is used to open a file, and it returns a file object. Once a file is opened, you can read its contents using the read method. However, an important aspect to consider while managing files is ensuring they are closed after use, allowing for the setup and teardown of computational resources. One way to accomplish this is by using context managers.

Context managers are an object that manages the context of a block of code, typically with a with statement. It’s particularly useful for setting up and tearing down computational resources, such as efficiently opening and closing files. In short, the with keyword, which automatically closes the file once the nested block of code is executed, is more efficient and reduces the risk of a file not being properly closed.

The syntax to open files using context managers is as follows:

with open(<file_name.csv>) as file_object:
    # Code block...