Python File next() Method

Description

The method next() is used when a file is used as an iterator, typically in a loop, the next() method is called repeatedly. This method returns the next input line, or raises StopIteration when EOF is hit.

Combining next() method with other file methods like readline() does not work right. However, using seek() to reposition the file to an absolute position will flush the read-ahead buffer.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for next() method

fileObject.next(); 

Parameters

• NA

Return Value

This method returns the next input line.

Example

The following example shows the usage of next() method.

#!/usr/bin/python

# Open a file
fo = open("foo.txt", "r")
print "Name of the file: ", fo.name

# Assuming file has following 5 lines
# This is 1st line
# This is 2nd line
# This is 3rd line
# This is 4th line
# This is 5th line

for index in range(5):
   line = fo.next()
   print "Line No %d - %s" % (index, line)

# Close opend file
fo.close()

Let us compile and run the above program, this will produce the following result:

Name of the file:  foo.txt
Line No 0 - This is 1st line
Line No 1 - This is 2nd line
Line No 2 - This is 3rd line
Line No 3 - This is 4th line
Line No 4 - This is 5th line