Isabella Carter
In computing, a line in a text file is a unit of organization for text files. It consists of a sequence of zero or more characters, usually displayed within a single horizontal sequence. The number of characters on a line may be predetermined or fixed, or the length may vary from line to line. The end of a line is indicated by the presence of one or more special end-of-line characters, such as line feed, carriage return, or a combination of both. The interpretation of text data depends on the encoding used, with ASCII and Unicode being common standards. Line of text is a human-made concept for processing text data, referring to a group of characters up until the control codes that represent a new line.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition of a line | A line is a unit of organization for text files. A line consists of a sequence of zero or more characters, usually displayed within a single horizontal sequence. |
| Number of characters on a line | Depending on the file system or operating system being used, the number of characters on a line may either be predetermined or fixed, or the length may vary from line to line. |
| Fixed-length lines | Fixed-length lines are sometimes called records. |
| Variable-length lines | With variable-length lines, the end of each line is usually indicated by the presence of one or more special end-of-line characters. These include line feed, carriage return, or combinations thereof. |
| Blank line | A blank line usually refers to a line containing zero characters (not counting any end-of-line characters); though it may also refer to any line that does not contain any visible characters (consisting only of whitespace). |
| Line reference | Some tools that operate on text files (e.g. editors) provide a mechanism to reference lines by their line number. |
| Line-oriented programming language | Programming languages that interpret the end of a line to be the end of an instruction or statement. |
| Line endings | On Windows, line endings are typically denoted by Carriage Return (CR) + Line Feed (LF) codes (CR+LF). On Linux and modern Mac (OS X+), it's just LF. On legacy Mac, it's just CR. |
| Line length limitation | There may be a limitation to the number of characters allowed in any given line in a text file. For example, the value of LINE_MAX on Ubuntu 18.04 and FreeBSD 11.1 is 2048. |
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What You'll Learn
A line is a sequence of zero or more characters
In computing, a line is a unit of organization for text files. A line is defined as a sequence of zero or more characters, usually displayed within a single horizontal sequence. The term originates from physical printing, where a line of text refers to a horizontal row of characters.
The number of characters on a line may be predetermined or fixed, or the length may vary from line to line, depending on the file system or operating system being used. Fixed-length lines are sometimes referred to as records. Variable-length lines, on the other hand, typically indicate the end of each line by using one or more special end-of-line characters, such as line feed or carriage return.
A blank line can refer to a line containing zero characters, excluding any end-of-line characters. Alternatively, it can refer to a line that does not contain any visible characters and consists solely of whitespace.
In programming, the concept of a "line of text" is a human-made construct for processing text data. It refers to a group of characters that appear before the control codes representing a new line. These control codes differ across operating systems. For example, on Windows, the combination of Carriage Return (CR) and Line Feed (LF) is used, while on Linux and modern Mac (OS X+)], only LF is used.
When discussing text files, it is important to distinguish between a line containing zero characters and an empty file, which consists of zero or more lines. While a line with zero characters is still considered a valid line, an empty file without any characters organized into lines may not be recognized as a text file by certain utilities or applications.
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Line endings vary depending on the operating system
In computing, a line is a unit of organization for text files. A line consists of a sequence of zero or more characters, usually displayed within a single horizontal sequence. The number of characters on a line may either be predetermined or fixed, or the length may vary from line to line. With variable-length lines, the end of each line is usually indicated by the presence of one or more special end-of-line characters. These include line feed, carriage return, or combinations thereof.
The specific characters used to indicate line endings vary depending on the operating system. For example, on Windows, the combination of Carriage Return (CR) and Line Feed (LF) codes (CR+LF) is typically used, while on Linux and modern Mac (OS X+), only the LF code is used. On legacy Mac systems, the CR code was used on its own.
The variation in line endings between operating systems can be attributed to historical reasons and the evolution of different standards. The Carriage Return and Line Feed codes originated from teletype machines, where CR moved the cursor to the beginning of the line, and LF moved the cursor to the next line, creating an empty line.
When working with text files across different operating systems, it is important to be aware of these differences in line endings to ensure compatibility and proper interpretation of the text data.
Additionally, when programming or developing software, it is crucial to consider the specific line ending characters used by the target operating system to ensure proper functionality and compatibility.
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Blank lines refer to lines with zero characters
In computing, a line is a unit of organization for text files. A blank line usually refers to a line containing zero characters (excluding any end-of-line characters). However, it can also refer to any line that does not contain visible characters (consisting only of whitespace).
In text files, a series of bytes are stored on a disk according to the file system. The interpretation of these bytes into useful data, such as text, depends on the encoding. Common encoding standards include ASCII and Unicode. While ASCII is a basic form of encoding text, Unicode supports a wider range of symbols, including emojis, but uses multiple bytes per character.
In programming, a blank line can be represented by a "new line symbol" (\n) in ASCII encoding. Alternatively, Unicode can be used, which takes more bytes for each character due to its expanded character set.
The interpretation of a blank line can vary depending on the programming language and operating system. For example, in Python, a blank line may be represented by a single \n, which is automatically converted to CRLF (Carriage Return + Line Feed) on Windows.
In terms of data storage, a "line of text" is a human-made concept for processing text data. It refers to a group of characters up until the control codes that represent a new line. These control codes can vary depending on the operating system.
In summary, a blank line in a text file refers to a line containing zero characters, excluding any end-of-line characters. This definition is important for understanding and processing text data in computing and programming contexts.
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Line-oriented programming languages interpret the end of a line as the end of an instruction
In computing, a line in a text file is a unit of organization for text files. It consists of a sequence of zero or more characters, typically displayed within a single horizontal sequence. The number of characters on a line may be predetermined or fixed, or the length may vary from line to line. Fixed-length lines are called records, while variable-length lines usually end with special end-of-line characters like line feed or carriage return.
Some programming languages, like Fortran 66/77, also have significant line indentation, where the actual statement is contained within specific columns of a line. In ABAP, if the first character of a line is an asterisk (*), the whole line is considered a comment, while a single double quote ("") indicates an inline comment until the end of the line.
The interpretation of a line in a text file also depends on the encoding used. ASCII and Unicode are common encoding standards, with ASCII being a basic form of encoding text using bytes from 0 to 127 to represent letters, numbers, and symbols. Unicode, on the other hand, uses multiple bytes per character to represent a wider range of symbols, including emojis.
Overall, the concept of a line in a text file is a human construct for processing text data, and the specific interpretation can vary depending on the programming language and encoding being used.
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Text files are composed of plain text content
The number of characters on a line may be fixed or predetermined, or it may vary from line to line. Fixed-length lines are sometimes referred to as records. Variable-length lines, on the other hand, are usually indicated by the presence of one or more special end-of-line characters, such as line feed, carriage return, or a combination of both. A blank line can refer to a line with zero characters (excluding any end-of-line characters) or a line without any visible characters (consisting only of whitespace).
In programming, a "line of text" is a human-made concept for processing text data. It refers to a group of characters up until the control codes that represent a new line. These control codes differ across operating systems. For instance, Windows uses Carriage Return (CR) + Line Feed (LF) codes, while Linux and modern Mac (OS X+) use just LF, and legacy Mac systems use only CR.
Text files can be viewed as a series of bytes stored on a disk according to the file system. Encoding determines how these bytes are translated into meaningful data like text. ASCII and Unicode are common encoding standards. ASCII maps bytes from 0 to 127 to letters of the alphabet (upper and lower case), digits, punctuation, and control characters such as space, tab, carriage return, and line feed. Unicode, on the other hand, supports a broader range of symbols, including emojis, but it uses multiple bytes per character.
Python provides built-in functions for creating, writing, and reading text files. It offers various methods to read specific lines from a text file, such as using the readlines() method to read lines into a stream or iterating over the file object in a loop.
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Frequently asked questions
In computing, a line is a unit of organization for text files. A line consists of a sequence of zero or more characters, usually displayed within a single horizontal sequence.
A "line of text" is a human-made concept for processing text data. It refers to a group of characters up until the control codes that represent a new line.
Control codes include whitespace characters like space, tab, carriage return, and line feed. On Windows, the control codes are Carriage Return (13) + Line Feed (10) (CR+LF). On Linux and modern Mac, it's just LF, and on legacy Mac, it's CR.
Fixed-length lines have a predetermined or fixed number of characters per line. Variable-length lines have varying character lengths and are indicated by special end-of-line characters like line feed or carriage return.
Some tools, such as text editors, allow referencing lines by their line number. In programming languages, the end of a line may signify the end of an instruction or statement.
