Introduction to Programming Using Python — Question 3

You develop a Python application for your school.
You need to read and write data to a text file. If the file does not exist, it must be created. If the file has content, the content must be removed.
Which code should you use?

Answer options

• A. open("local_data", "r")
• B. open("local_data", "r+")
• C. open("local_data", "w+")
• D. open("local_data", "w")

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is C, as using 'w+' opens the file for both reading and writing, and it creates the file if it doesn't exist while also truncating any existing content. Option A will only allow reading from the file, and option B allows reading and writing but does not clear existing content. Option D will create the file and remove its content, but it does not allow reading from it.