How can I read and write multiple values in a text file with Python?

Question

So, I am trying to use python to write a high scores text file that can be read later when someone else opens the program. I have done this before in C++ and it looks like this:

    void main()
{
    //Declare local variables
    int High_Score[5];
    int Rank;

    string High_Score_Name[5];

    //Initialize a high score at 0
    High_Score[4] = 0;

    //Input the high scores from a file
    ifstream Input_High_Scores;
    Input_High_Scores.open("High_Scores.txt");

    for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
    {
        Input_High_Scores >> High_Score[i];
        Input_High_Scores >> High_Score_Name[i];
    }
    Input_High_Scores.close();

    if (High_Score[4] == 0)
    {
        //Initialize local variables
        High_Score[0] = 999999999;
        High_Score[1] = 40000;
        High_Score[2] = 37000;
        High_Score[3] = 30000;
        High_Score[4] = 25000;
        High_Score_Name[0] = "Developer";
        High_Score_Name[1] = "Adam";
        High_Score_Name[2] = "Nastasia";
        High_Score_Name[3] = "Nicolas";
        High_Score_Name[4] = "Dani";
    }
}

What I need is a version that does what this does in Python. I have found a way to save 1 value in a text file, but I want it to save 10 values in total. 5 names and 5 scores for those names. I also need to know how to read those values in the program. Here is what I have so far:

    # Trivia game created by NeverEndingCycle

Start = ""
Exit = ""
Score = int(0)
Next = ""
HighScore = int(0)


def GetHighScore():
    # Default high score
    HighScore = 0

    # Try to read the high score from a file
    try:
        high_score_file = open("high_score.txt", "r")
        HighScore = int(high_score_file.read())
        high_score_file.close()
        print("The high score is", HighScore)
    except IOError:
        # Error reading file, no high score
        print("There is no high score yet.")
        print("")
    except ValueError:
        # There's a file there, but we don't understand the value.
        print("I'm confused. Starting with no high score.")

    return HighScore


def save_high_score(new_high_score):
    try:
        # Write the file to disk
        high_score_file = open("Highscore.txt", "w")
        high_score_file.write(str(new_high_score))
        high_score_file.close()
    except IOError:
        # Hm, can't write it.
        print("ERROR --- Unable to save the high score.")


def CheckForHighScore():
    global Score
    # Get the high score
    high_score = GetHighScore()

    # Get the score from the current game
    current_score = 0
    try:
        current_score = Score
    except ValueError:
        # Error
        print("___ERROR___")

    # See if we have a new high score
    if current_score > high_score:
        # We do! Save to disk
        global Exit
        print("Yea! New high score!")
        save_high_score(current_score)
        Exit = input("Press ENTER to exit")
    else:
        global Exit
        print("No new Highscore, Better luck next time.")
        Exit = input("Press ENTER to exit")


def ShowScore():
    global Score
    global Next
    print("")
    print("You now have", Score, "Point(s).")
    Next = input("Press ENTER to continue to the next Question.")


def Q1():
    global Score
    print("")
    print("Question 1.")
    print("What type of variable is a String? (1 Point)")
    print("")
    print("1. Letters")
    print("2. Numbers")
    print("3. Decimals")
    print("4. A String is not a varible.")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 1
        print("")
        print("Correct! 1 point has been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q2():
    global Score
    print("")
    print("Question 2.")
    print("(1 Point)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")
    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")

    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 1
        print("")
        print("Correct! 1 point has been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q3():
    global Score
    print("")
    print("Question 3.")
    print("(1 Point)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 1
        print("")
        print("Correct! 1 point has been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q4():
    global Score
    print("Question 4.")
    print("(1 Point)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 1
        print("")
        print("Correct! 1 point has been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q5():
    global Score
    print("Question 5.")
    print("(5 Points)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 5
        print("")
        print("Correct! 5 points have been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q6():
    global Score
    print("")
    print("Question 6.")
    print("(2 Points)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 2
        print("")
        print("Correct! 2 points have been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q7():
    global Score
    print("")
    print("Question 7.")
    print("(2 Points)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 2
        print("")
        print("Correct! 2 points have been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q8():
    global Score
    print("")
    print("Question 8.")
    print("(2 Points)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 2
        print("")
        print("Correct! 2 points have been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q9():
    global Score
    print("Question 9.")
    print("(2 Points)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 2
        print("")
        print("Correct! 2 points have been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Q10():
    global Score
    print("")
    print("Question 10.")
    print("(10 Points)")
    print("")
    print("1. ")
    print("2. ")
    print("3. ")
    print("4. ")
    print("")

    Answer = input("What is your answer? ")
    if Answer == "1":
        Score = Score + 10
        print("")
        print("Correct! 2 points have been added to your score!")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "2":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "3":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    elif Answer == "4":
        print("")
        print("Incorrect. No points were added.")
        print("")
    else:
        print("Incorrect. Choose an answer between 1 and 4 next time!")
    return Score


def Main():
    global Next
    Q1()
    ShowScore()

    Q2()
    ShowScore()

    Q3()
    ShowScore()

    Q4()
    ShowScore()
    print("")
    print("Bonus Question 5x Points!")

    Q5()
    ShowScore()
    print("")
    print("Last 5 questions! All points are double!")

    Q6()
    ShowScore()

    Q7()
    ShowScore()

    Q8()
    ShowScore()

    Q9()
    ShowScore()
    print("")
    print("Final Question 5x Points!")

    Q10()
    ShowScore()
    Next = input("Press ENTER to continue.")


Name = input("Please enter your name: ")
print("")
print("Welcome, %s, to NeverEndingCycle's Trivia Game!" % (Name))
print("")
Start = input("Press ENTER to begin playing!")
print("")

Main()

CheckForHighScore()

Lastly, if I could keep as much of the original code as possible, that would be great. I am trying to teach myself and it has gone well until now. What I mean is I need to understand whatever the solution is to my problem or I will not know how to fix it in the future.

I am very new to python-- like started last week new -- and I am teaching myself, so I apologize if this is a stupid question, but I could not find a solution anywhere. Also, I know my formatting is terrible, I'm working on it.

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 24 '18 at 19:55

Appending data to a file

This code can be used to append data to a file, therefore, it won't overwrite the current data if the file exists. "a+" stands for append and the plus sign means it will create a file if it doesn't already exist.

high_score_file = open("Highscore.txt", "a+")

For writing your high score information to the file you only have to change the first line of code. See the "a+" instead of "w".

high_score_file = open("Highscore.txt", "a+")
high_score_file.write(str(new_high_score)
high_score_file.close()

Reading data from a file

Reading data from a file is simple and this is an efficient way to read data in. It will read the data in line by line. Also the top line is opening the file in read only mode so given the "r". This means you won't be able to write to it.

high_score_file = open("Highscore.txt", "r")
for line in high_score_file:
    print(line, end='')

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 24 '18 at 19:56

From what I understand, you want to write to multiple lines to your text file. This page helped me. I reccomend replacing high_score_file.write(str(new_high_score)) with high_score_file.writelines([line1, line2, line3]). And for each line write the 10 values you plan on.

How can I read and write multiple values in a text file with Python?

2 Answers2