Read a file in reverse order using python

Question

How to read a file in reverse order using python? I want to read a file from last line to first line.

Answer 1

A correct, efficient answer written as a generator.

import os

def reverse_readline(filename, buf_size=8192):
    """a generator that returns the lines of a file in reverse order"""
    with open(filename) as fh:
        segment = None
        offset = 0
        fh.seek(0, os.SEEK_END)
        file_size = remaining_size = fh.tell()
        while remaining_size > 0:
            offset = min(file_size, offset + buf_size)
            fh.seek(file_size - offset)
            buffer = fh.read(min(remaining_size, buf_size))
            remaining_size -= buf_size
            lines = buffer.split('\n')
            # the first line of the buffer is probably not a complete line so
            # we'll save it and append it to the last line of the next buffer
            # we read
            if segment is not None:
                # if the previous chunk starts right from the beginning of line
                # do not concact the segment to the last line of new chunk
                # instead, yield the segment first 
                if buffer[-1] != '\n':
                    lines[-1] += segment
                else:
                    yield segment
            segment = lines[0]
            for index in range(len(lines) - 1, 0, -1):
                if lines[index]:
                    yield lines[index]
        # Don't yield None if the file was empty
        if segment is not None:
            yield segment

Answer 2

Most of the answers need to read the whole file before doing anything. This sample reads increasingly large samples from the end.

I only saw Murat Yükselen's answer while writing this answer. It's nearly the same, which I suppose is a good thing. The sample below also deals with \r and increases its buffersize at each step. I also have some unit tests to back this code up.

def readlines_reversed(f):
    """ Iterate over the lines in a file in reverse. The file must be
    open in 'rb' mode. Yields the lines unencoded (as bytes), including the
    newline character. Produces the same result as readlines, but reversed.
    If this is used to reverse the line in a file twice, the result is
    exactly the same.
    """
    head = b""
    f.seek(0, 2)
    t = f.tell()
    buffersize, maxbuffersize = 64, 4096
    while True:
        if t <= 0:
            break
        # Read next block
        buffersize = min(buffersize * 2, maxbuffersize)
        tprev = t
        t = max(0, t - buffersize)
        f.seek(t)
        lines = f.read(tprev - t).splitlines(True)
        # Align to line breaks
        if not lines[-1].endswith((b"\n", b"\r")):
            lines[-1] += head  # current tail is previous head
        elif head == b"\n" and lines[-1].endswith(b"\r"):
            lines[-1] += head  # Keep \r\n together
        elif head:
            lines.append(head)
        head = lines.pop(0)  # can be '\n' (ok)
        # Iterate over current block in reverse
        for line in reversed(lines):
            yield line
    if head:
        yield head

Answer 3

Thanks for the answer @srohde. It has a small bug checking for newline character with 'is' operator, and I could not comment on the answer with 1 reputation. Also I'd like to manage file open outside because that enables me to embed my ramblings for luigi tasks.

What I needed to change has the form:

with open(filename) as fp:
    for line in fp:
        #print line,  # contains new line
        print '>{}<'.format(line)

I'd love to change to:

with open(filename) as fp:
    for line in reversed_fp_iter(fp, 4):
        #print line,  # contains new line
        print '>{}<'.format(line)

Here is a modified answer that wants a file handle and keeps newlines:

def reversed_fp_iter(fp, buf_size=8192):
    """a generator that returns the lines of a file in reverse order
    ref: https://stackoverflow.com/a/23646049/8776239
    """
    segment = None  # holds possible incomplete segment at the beginning of the buffer
    offset = 0
    fp.seek(0, os.SEEK_END)
    file_size = remaining_size = fp.tell()
    while remaining_size > 0:
        offset = min(file_size, offset + buf_size)
        fp.seek(file_size - offset)
        buffer = fp.read(min(remaining_size, buf_size))
        remaining_size -= buf_size
        lines = buffer.splitlines(True)
        # the first line of the buffer is probably not a complete line so
        # we'll save it and append it to the last line of the next buffer
        # we read
        if segment is not None:
            # if the previous chunk starts right from the beginning of line
            # do not concat the segment to the last line of new chunk
            # instead, yield the segment first
            if buffer[-1] == '\n':
                #print 'buffer ends with newline'
                yield segment
            else:
                lines[-1] += segment
                #print 'enlarged last line to >{}<, len {}'.format(lines[-1], len(lines))
        segment = lines[0]
        for index in range(len(lines) - 1, 0, -1):
            if len(lines[index]):
                yield lines[index]
    # Don't yield None if the file was empty
    if segment is not None:
        yield segment

Answer 4

Read the file line by line and then add it on a list in reverse order.

Here is an example of code :

reverse = []
with open("file.txt", "r") as file:
    for line in file:
        line = line.strip()
         reverse[0:0] = line

Answer 5

import re

def filerev(somefile, buffer=0x20000):
  somefile.seek(0, os.SEEK_END)
  size = somefile.tell()
  lines = ['']
  rem = size % buffer
  pos = max(0, (size // buffer - 1) * buffer)
  while pos >= 0:
    somefile.seek(pos, os.SEEK_SET)
    data = somefile.read(rem + buffer) + lines[0]
    rem = 0
    lines = re.findall('[^\n]*\n?', data)
    ix = len(lines) - 2
    while ix > 0:
      yield lines[ix]
      ix -= 1
    pos -= buffer
  else:
    yield lines[0]

with open(sys.argv[1], 'r') as f:
  for line in filerev(f):
    sys.stdout.write(line)

Answer 6

a simple function to create a second file reversed (linux only):

import os
def tac(file1, file2):
     print(os.system('tac %s > %s' % (file1,file2)))

how to use

tac('ordered.csv', 'reversed.csv')
f = open('reversed.csv')