Python – How to read a file into a list?

By mkyong | Updated: December 20, 2018

Viewed: 721 (+3 pv/w)

Tags: io pyhton read file

Python example to read a log file, line by line into a list.

# With '\n', ['1\n', '2\n', '3']
with open('/www/logs/server.log') as f:
    content = f.readlines() 
	
# No '\n', ['1', '2', '3']
with open('/www/logs/server.log') as f:
    content = f.read().splitlines()

1. Read File -> List

1.1 A dummy log file.

a
b
c
d
1
2
3

1.2 \n is included.

filename = "d:\\server.log"

with open(filename) as f:
    lines = f.readlines()

print(type(lines))
print(lines)

Output

<class 'list'>
['a\n', 'b\n', 'c\n', 'd\n', '1\n', '2\n', '3']

1.3 \n is excluded.

filename = "d:\\server.log"

with open(filename) as f:
    lines = f.read().splitlines()

print(type(lines))
print(lines)

Output

<class 'list'>
['a', 'b', 'c', 'd', '1', '2', '3']

References

1. Python docs – Reading and Writing Files