How to select and add entry to a markdown file in Python?

Question

I have a data.md file as follows:

## intent:greet
- hey
- hello
- hi
- good morning
- good evening
- hey there

## intent:goodbye
- bye
- goodbye
- see you around
- see you later

## intent:affirm
- yes
- indeed
- of course
- that sounds good
- correct

## intent:deny
- no
- never
- I don't think so
- don't like that
- no way
- not really

Now I want to add a new example yes, I affirm to ## intent:affirm so that it becomes as follows:

## intent:affirm
- yes
- indeed
- of course
- that sounds good
- correct
- yes, I affirm

How to achieve this in Python?

Currently, I have no idea on what to start with as I am new to Python, so haven't done anything concrete before seeking help here other than search online for related articles.

Did you read https://stackoverflow.com/questions/125703/how-to-modify-a-text-file and https://stackoverflow.com/questions/39086/search-and-replace-a-line-in-a-file-in-python — Ojasvi Monga, Jul 12 '19 at 03:23

Nakor · Accepted Answer · 2019-07-12T03:50:53.923

3

It's a bit more difficult than it seems since you can't just edit a file in python (unless it's at the end). So you can first read the file into an array, and then re-write it. For example:

# Load the file into file_content
file_content = [ line for line in open('data.md') ]

# Overwrite it
writer = open('data.md','w')

for line in file_content:
    # We search for the correct section
    if line.startswith("##"):
        section = line.strip()

    # Re-write the file at each iteration
    writer.write(line)

    # Once we arrive at the correct position, write the new entry
    if section == "## intent:affirm" and line.strip() == "- correct":
        writer.write("- yes, I affirm\n")

writer.close()

edited Jul 12 '19 at 03:50

answered Jul 12 '19 at 03:37

Nakor

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It removes the `\n` at the end of the string, and whitespaces at the beggining and the end of the string – Nakor Jul 12 '19 at 03:49
My bad, it was supposed to be `writer`. I just edited it – Nakor Jul 12 '19 at 03:51

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 12 '19 at 03:51

You will have to rewrite the file, if you can still access, use copy/paste and in the new file insert the copied file and the parts you want to add. You can't change it because it is a os thing, not python. You may be able to replace the file using the terminal or command line in your OS.

Windows:

REPLACE [Drive:][path]SourceFiles [Drive:][path2] [/A] [/P] [/R] [/W] where:

/A is any missing files

/P is prompt for confirmation

/R is replace even read-only file

/W is wait/pause (originally used for floppy disks)

Linux:

Create and save the new file in the tmp folder, then in the terminal:

cat /tmp/new-file | sudo tee /home/user/(insert more folders and file if needed)

OS X/Mac:

I am unsure how to do this as I have never had a mac, but Google or maybe some communities in StackExchange.

How to select and add entry to a markdown file in Python?

2 Answers2