Write a Python Program to Read & Print First 5 Characters of a File

Introduction

In Python, we can read a specific number of characters from a file using the read() method. By passing a number inside read(), we can control how many characters to display.

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Logic to Write the Code

1. Start the program.
2. Open the file in read mode ("r").
3. Use read(5) to read the first 5 characters.
4. Print the content without adding any separator.
5. Close the file.
6. End the program.

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Source Code (Beginner Friendly)

# Python program to read and print first 5 characters of a file

# Opening the file in read mode
file = open("sample.txt", "r")

# Reading first 5 characters
content = file.read(5)

# Printing the content (no separator added)
print(content)

# Closing the file
file.close()

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Sample Output

If sample.txt contains:

Hello Students

Output:

Hello

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Viva Questions with Answers

1. What does read(5) do?

It reads the first 5 characters from the file.

2. What is the default mode of open()?

The default mode is read mode "r".

3. What happens if the file has less than 5 characters?

It will print all available characters without error.

4. Why do we close the file?

To release system resources.

5. Can we read more than 5 characters?

Yes, by changing the number inside read().