Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

Python Python for File Systems Manipulation Creating Files and Directories

Posted by Hanwen Zhang
Hanwen Zhang
20,084 Points

What does the "a" means in this open('test_file.txt', 'a').close() ?

rt

1 Answer

Peter Vann
Peter Vann
36,425 Points

Hi Hanwen!

The 'a' is a flag that means "to append".

More info:

https://www.w3schools.com/python/ref_func_open.asp

https://teamtreehouse.com/library/python-file-io (14-minute Workshop)

I hope that helps.

Stay safe and happy coding!

Hanwen Zhang
Hanwen Zhang
20,084 Points

Thank you Peter