📖 Reading Files

Reading files is a foundational I/O skill. The key idea is:

• Use open() with a context manager (with) so the file closes automatically.
• Specify an encoding for text files (UTF-8 is the modern default).

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✅ Basic Pattern

with open("notes.txt", "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
    text = f.read()

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✅ Common Reading Methods

Method	Returns	When to use
f.read()	full file as a single string	small/medium files
f.readline()	next line	streaming line-by-line
f.readlines()	list of lines	small files, quick processing
for line in f:	lines iterator	large files, memory-safe

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⚠️ Paths and Working Directory

Relative paths are resolved from the current working directory (where you run python). If you need robust paths, consider pathlib.Path.

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🔍 Key Takeaways

• Prefer with open(...): to avoid leaking file handles.
• Text files need an encoding; use encoding="utf-8".
• Iterate over the file object for large files.

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