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Python seek() and tell() functions

The seek() and tell() functions are file object methods in Python that allow you to manipulate the position of the file pointer within a file. The seek() function is used to move the file pointer to a specified position, while the tell() function is used to get the current position of the file pointer. In this tutorial, we will learn how to use the seek() and tell() functions in Python.

Opening a file:

To use the seek() and tell() functions, you need to first open a file. You can open a file using the open() function, which returns a file object.

file = open("example.txt", "r")

Getting the current position of the file pointer using tell():

The tell() function returns the current position of the file pointer within the file. This position is an integer representing the number of bytes from the beginning of the file.

position = file.tell()
print(f"Current file pointer position: {position}")  # Output: 0

By default, when you open a file, the file pointer is positioned at the beginning of the file.

Moving the file pointer using seek():

The seek() function moves the file pointer to a specified position within the file. It takes two arguments: offset and whence. The offset is the number of bytes from the reference position specified by whence. The whence parameter is optional and has a default value of 0.

whence=0: The reference position is the beginning of the file (default).
whence=1: The reference position is the current file pointer position.
whence=2: The reference position is the end of the file.

# Move the file pointer to the 10th byte from the beginning of the file
file.seek(10, 0)

position = file.tell()
print(f"Current file pointer position: {position}")  # Output: 10

Reading from a specific position:

After using the seek() function to move the file pointer, you can use the read() or readline() functions to read the content of the file starting from the new position of the file pointer.

file.seek(10, 0)
content = file.read()
print(content)

Moving the file pointer relative to the current position:

You can use the seek() function with whence=1 to move the file pointer relative to its current position.

# Move the file pointer 5 bytes forward from its current position
file.seek(5, 1)

position = file.tell()
print(f"Current file pointer position: {position}")  # Output: 15 (assuming it was 10 before)

Moving the file pointer relative to the end of the file:

You can use the seek() function with whence=2 to move the file pointer relative to the end of the file.

# Move the file pointer to 5 bytes before the end of the file
file.seek(-5, 2)

position = file.tell()
print(f"Current file pointer position: {position}")

Closing the file:

After you have finished working with a file, it's essential to close it using the close() function. This will free up the resources used by the file object.

file.close()

In summary, the seek() and tell() functions in Python allow you to manipulate the position of the file pointer within a file.

How to use seek() and tell() for file positioning in Python:

Description: seek() is used to change the file position, and tell() is used to get the current file position.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Move to position 10 in the file
    file.seek(10)
    # Get the current file position
    position = file.tell()
    print(f"Current position: {position}")

Using seek() to navigate within a file in Python:

Description: seek(offset, whence) is used to move the file cursor to a specified position.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Move to position 20 from the beginning of the file
    file.seek(20, 0)
    # Process data from the new position
    data = file.read()

Getting the current file position with tell() in Python:

Description: Use tell() to get the current position of the file cursor.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Get the current file position
    position = file.tell()
    print(f"Current position: {position}")

Seeking to a specific position in a file with seek() in Python:

Description: Use seek() to move the file cursor to a specific position.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Seek to position 30
    file.seek(30)
    # Process data from the new position
    data = file.read()

Python seek() and tell() examples for binary files:

Description: The same seek() and tell() functions are used for binary files.

Code:

# Open a binary file
with open('binary_file.bin', 'rb') as file:
    # Seek to position 40
    file.seek(40)
    # Get the current file position
    position = file.tell()
    print(f"Current position: {position}")

Moving the file cursor with seek() and tell() in Python:

Description: Use seek() to move the cursor and tell() to check the current position during file operations.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Move to position 50
    file.seek(50)
    # Get the current file position
    position = file.tell()
    print(f"Current position: {position}")
    # Process data from the new position
    data = file.read()

Random access file handling with seek() in Python:

Description: Utilize seek() for random access to specific positions in a file.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Seek to position 60
    file.seek(60)
    # Process data from the new position
    data = file.read()

Combining seek() and tell() for efficient file operations in Python:

Description: Combine seek() and tell() to efficiently perform file operations at specific positions.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Move to position 70
    file.seek(70)
    # Get the current file position
    position = file.tell()
    print(f"Current position: {position}")
    # Process data from the new position
    data = file.read()

Seeking and retrieving file position information with tell() in Python:

Description: Use seek() to move the cursor and tell() to retrieve the current position.

Code:

# Open a file in binary mode
with open('example.txt', 'rb') as file:
    # Seek to position 80
    file.seek(80)
    # Get the current file position
    position = file.tell()
    print(f"Current position: {position}")