Python/C2/loading-data-from-files/English-timed

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Visual Cue Narration
0:01 Hello Friends and Welcome to this tutorial on "loading data from files".
0:06 At the end of this tutorial, you will be able to,
  1. Read data from files, containing a single column of data
  2. Read multiple columns of data, separated by spaces or other delimiters.
0:19 Let us switch to the terminal and start IPython, using ipython hypen pylab
0:33 Now, Let us begin with reading the file primes.txt, which contains a list of prime numbers listed in a column, using the loadtxt command.
0:45 Please make sure that you provide the correct path of the file, 'primes.txt'.
0:50 The file, in our case, is present in slash home slash fossee slash primes.txt.
0:59 Otherwise we can use the cat command to locate the file and read the contents of it.
1:05 So type cat slash home slash fossee slash primes.txt
1:15 Now let us read this list into the variable primes.
1:20 So type primes = loadtxt within bracket in single quotes slash home slash fossee slash primes.txt
1:41 primes is now a sequence of prime numbers, that was listed in the file,``primes.txt``.
1:49 We now type, print space primes to see the sequence printed.
2:00 We observe that all the numbers end with a period.
2:04 This is so, because these numbers are actually read as floats.
2:10 Now, let us use the loadtxt command to read a file pendulum.txt that contains two columns of data.
2:19 This file contains the length of the pendulum in the first column and the corresponding time period in the second.
2:26 Note that here loadtxt needs both the columns to have equal number of rows.
2:31 We use the cat command to view the contents of this file.
2:36 So type cat slash home slash fossee slash pendulum.txt
2:50 Let us, now, read the data into the variable pend.
2:55 Again, it is assumed that the file is in slash home slash fossee
3:02 So type pend = loadtxt within bracket in single quote slash home slash fossee slash pendulum.txt
3:21 Let us now print the variable pend and see what it contains.
3:26 So type print pend
3:31 Notice that pend is not a simple sequence like primes.
3:35 It has two sequences, containing both the columns of the data file.
3:40 Let us use an additional argument of the loadtxt command, to read it into two separate, simple sequences.
3:50 So type L, T space = space loadtxt within bracket single quoteslash home slash fossee slash pendulum.txt comma unpack=True
4:23 Let us now, print the variables L and T, to see what they contain.
4:29 So type print space L

print space T

4:39 Notice, that L and T now contain the first and second columns of data from the data file, pendulum.txt, and they are both simple sequences.
4:50 unpack=True has given us the two columns into two separate sequences instead of one complex sequence.
5:00 Till now, we have learnt the basic use of the loadtxt command.
5:05 Let us try an example.
5:07 Pause the video here, try out the following exercise and resume the video.
5:12 Read the file pendulum underscore semicolon.txt which contains the same data as pendulum.txt, but the columns are separated by semi-colons instead of spaces.
5:27 Use the IPython help to see how to do this.
5:34 Switch back to the terminal

L comma T = loadtxt within bracket in single quote slash home slash fossee slash pendulum underscore semicolon.txt comma unpack=True comma

              delimiter=semi-colon within single quote
6:54 Okay then type print L
6:40 print T
6:45 This brings us to the end of this tutorial.
6:48 In this tutorial, we have learnt to,
6:51 1. To Read data from files, containing a single column of data using the loadtxt command.
6:58 2. To Read multiple columns of data, separated by spaces or other delimiters.
7:04 Here are some self assessment questions for you to solve

1. loadtxt can read data from a file with one column only. True or False?

7:18 2. Given a file data.txt with three columns of data separated by spaces, read it into 3 separate simple sequences.
7:29 3. Given a file data.txt with three columns of data separated by ":", read it into 3 separate simple sequences.
7:45 And the answers,1. False.
7:50 loadtxt command can read data from files having both single columns as well as multiple columns.
7:58 2. A file with three columns of data separated by spaces to be read into 3 separate sequences, we use the loadtxt command as, x = loadtxt within bracket in double quotes data.txt comma unpack=True
8:19 3. If a file with three columns of data separated by delimiters,we read it into three separate sequences by using an additional argument of delimiter in the loadtxt command

x = loadtxt within bracket in double quotes data.txt comma unpack=True comma delimiter=in double quotes colon)

8:51 Hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and found it useful.
8:55 Thank you!

Contributors and Content Editors

Gaurav, Minal, PoojaMoolya, Sneha