Python Program Read a File Line by Line Into a List

To understand this example, you should have the knowledge of the following Python programming topics:


Example 1: Using readlines()

Let the content of the file data_file.txt be

honda 1948
mercedes 1926
ford 1903

Source Code

with open("data_file.txt") as f:
    content_list = f.readlines()

# print the list
print(content_list)

# remove new line characters
content_list = [x.strip() for x in content_list]
print(content_list)

Output

['honda 1948\n', 'mercedes 1926\n', 'ford 1903']
['honda 1948', 'mercedes 1926', 'ford 1903']

readlines() returns a list of lines from the file.

  • First, open the file and read the file using readlines().
  • If you want to remove the new lines ('\n'), you can use strip().

Example 2: Using for loop and list comprehension

with open('data_file.txt') as f:
    content_list = [line for line in f]

print(content_list)

# removing the characters
with open('data_file.txt') as f:
    content_list = [line.rstrip() for line in f]

print(content_list)

Output

['honda 1948\n', 'mercedes 1926\n', 'ford 1903']
['honda 1948', 'mercedes 1926', 'ford 1903']

Another way to achieve the same thing is using a for loop. In each iteration, you can read each line of f object and store it in content_list as shown in the example above.


Also Read:

Did you find this article helpful?

Your builder path starts here. Builders don't just know how to code, they create solutions that matter.

Escape tutorial hell and ship real projects.

Try Programiz PRO
  • Real-World Projects
  • On-Demand Learning
  • AI Mentor
  • Builder Community