TXT File I/O

When to Use TXT Files

Use TXT files for simple configuration settings or small amounts of unstructured data.

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TXT File Helper Class

Click to view TxtFileHelper.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;

public static class TxtFileHelper
{
    // Path constant (recommended for Unit 3)
    private const string TXT_PATH = "data/settings.txt";

    public static List<string> LoadLines()
    {
        if (!File.Exists(TXT_PATH)) return new List<string>();
        return new List<string>(File.ReadAllLines(TXT_PATH));
    }

    public static void AddLineAndSave(string newLine)
    {
        var lines = LoadLines();
        lines.Add(newLine);
        File.WriteAllLines(TXT_PATH, lines);
    }
}

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Usage Example

// Read all lines from TXT file
string[] lines = File.ReadAllLines("settings.txt");

// Process each line
foreach (string line in lines)
{
    // Split on '=' to get key and value
    string[] parts = line.Split('=');
    string key = parts[0];      // e.g., "theme"
    string value = parts[1];    // e.g., "dark"

    Console.WriteLine($"{key}: {value}");
}

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Example TXT File Structure

theme=dark
fontSize=14
musicOn=true
username=PlayerOne
difficulty=medium
volume=75

Best Practice

Use a relative file path such as "data/settings.txt" and ensure the folder exists.