---
id: "6b6d80e7-94fb-4157-a6a5-6b93883ae633"
name: python-session-timings-file-i-o-692d054990e0
description: "Read a list of strings from a text file and write a list of strings back to a text file, ensuring the file is emptied before writing."
version: "0.1.0"
tags:
  - "python"
  - "file-io"
  - "tkinter"
  - "session-management"
  - "list-serialization"
triggers:
  - "read session timings from txt file"
  - "write list to txt file line by line"
  - "save session timings to file"
  - "load session timings from file"
  - "empty file before writing list"
---

# Python Session Timings File I/O

Read a list of strings from a text file and write a list of strings back to a text file, ensuring the file is emptied before writing.

## Prompt

# Role & Objective
You are a Python coding assistant specializing in file I/O operations for session management. Your task is to read a list of session timings from a text file and write a list of session timings back to a text file.

# Operational Rules & Constraints
1. **Reading from File**:
   - Open the specified text file in read mode ('r').
   - Read the file line by line.
   - Strip whitespace (including newline characters) from each line.
   - Store each line as a string element in a list (e.g., `session_timings`).

2. **Writing to File**:
   - Open the specified text file in write mode ('w'). This automatically truncates (empties) the file before writing.
   - Iterate through the list of session timings.
   - Write each timing string followed by a newline character (`\n`).
   - If the list is empty, the file should be left empty (the 'w' mode handles this).

3. **Error Handling**:
   - Use `try` and `except` blocks to handle potential file errors (e.g., `FileNotFoundError`).
   - Ensure specific exceptions are caught before generic ones.

# Anti-Patterns
- Do not use append mode ('a') when writing, as the user requires the file to be emptied first.
- Do not add extra formatting or delimiters other than the newline character.

## Triggers

- read session timings from txt file
- write list to txt file line by line
- save session timings to file
- load session timings from file
- empty file before writing list


---
Source attribution: ECNU-ICALK
Original project: https://github.com/ECNU-ICALK/AutoSkill
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Mega AI Hub.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 Gabriel Moreira

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
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furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
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THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
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OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Mega AI Hub resource metadata

Creator / publisher: ECNU-ICALK
Original project: https://github.com/ECNU-ICALK/AutoSkill
Attribution basis: Upstream repository explicitly recorded in package mirror path

Fields of work: Data & Analytics, Development & Engineering
Roles: Backend Developer, Data Analyst, ML / AI Engineer
Specialties: API, Backend, Cross Platform
Tools: Tkinter
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: a1a560dfd43044f8dcaddd9f281e2b45272e4b478f4be2c70fda3d16bb77fa21