Is 'file' a keyword in python?

Question

Is file a keyword in python?

I've seen some code using the keyword file just fine, while others have suggested not to use it and my editor is color coding it as a keyword.

Solution 1

No, file is not a keyword:

>>> import keyword
>>> keyword.iskeyword('file')
False

The name is not present in Python 3. In Python 2, file is a built-in:

>>> import __builtin__, sys
>>> hasattr(__builtin__, 'file')
True
>>> sys.version_info[:2]
(2, 7)

It can be seen as an alias for open(), but it was removed in Python 3, where the new io framework replaced it. Technically, it is the type of object returned by the Python 2 open() function.

Solution 2

file is neither a keyword nor a builtin in Python 3.

>>> import keyword
>>> 'file' in keyword.kwlist
False
>>> import builtins
>>> 'file' in dir(builtins)
False

file is also used as variable example from Python 3 doc.

with open('spam.txt', 'w') as file:
    file.write('Spam and eggs!')

Comments

[Gustavo Bezerra]

So is it ok to use file as a variable name if I plan to support Python 3 only?

[Martijn Pieters]

@GustavoBezerra absolutely!