Question

In what mode do you open a file if you want to write data to it, but you do not want to erase the file’s existing contents? When you write data to such a file, to what part of the file is the data written?

Short answer

Answer: The appropriate file opening mode for writing data to a file without erasing its existing content is the "Append mode", usually specified as 'a'. In this mode, new data is written to the end of the file, after the existing content, without erasing or overwriting any previous data.

Step-by-step solution

File Opening Modes

There are several file opening modes in programming. The most common ones are: 1. Read mode: This mode opens the file for reading purposes (usually specified as 'r' in programming languages). 2. Write mode: Opens the file for writing purposes (usually specified as 'w'). If the file already exists, its previous contents are erased. If the file does not exist, a new file is created. 3. Append mode: Opens the file for writing purposes, but does not erase the file's existing content. It adds the new data to the end of the file. (usually specified as 'a').

Selecting the Appropriate Mode for the Scenario

From the descriptions above, we can understand that the mode that allows us to write data to the file without erasing its existing content is the "Append mode".

Data Writing Location in Append Mode

When you write data to a file in Append mode, the new data is added to the end of the file. It means that the data is written after the existing content of the file, without erasing or overwriting any of the previous content. In summary, if you want to write data to a file without erasing the file's existing contents, use the Append mode (usually specified as 'a'). The new data will be written to the end of the file, after the existing content.