TypeError: 'encoding' is an invalid keyword argument for this function

Question

My python program has trouble opening a text file. When I use the basic open file for read, I get an ascii error. Someone helped me out by having me add an encoding parameter that works well in Idle, but when I run the program through terminal, I get this error message: "TypeError: 'encoding' is an invalid keyword argument for this function" How can I read this text file in to use it's data?

try:     import tkinter as tk     from tkinter import * except:     import Tkinter as tk     from Tkinter import *  import time import sys import os import random  flashcards = {}   def Flashcards(key, trans, PoS):     if not key in flashcards:         flashcards[key] = [[trans], [PoS]]     else:         x = []         for item in flashcards[key][0]:             x.append(item)         x.append(trans)         flashcards[key][0] = x         x = []         for item in flashcards[key][1]:             x.append(item)         x.append(PoS)         flashcards[key][1] = x   def ImportGaeilge():     flashcards = {}     with open('gaeilge_flashcard_mode.txt','r', encoding='utf8') as file:         for line in file:             line1 = line.rstrip().split("=")             key = line1[0]             trans = line1[1]             PoS = line1[2]             Flashcards(key, trans, PoS)  def Gaeilge():     numberCorrect = 0     totalCards = 0     ImportGaeilge()     wrongCards = {}     x = input('Hit "ENTER" to begin. (Type "quit" to quit)')     while x != quit:         os.system('cls')         time.sleep(1.3)         card = flashcards.popitem()         if card == "": ## WRONG CARDS             print ("Deck one complete.")             Gaeilge()         print("\n\n")         print(str(card[0])+":")         x = input("\t:")         if x == 'quit':             break         else:             right = False             for item in card[1]:                 if x == card[1]:                     right = True                     print("\nCorrect!")                     numberCorrect += 1             if right == False:                 print(card[0])          totalCards += 1         print("Correct answers:", str(numberCorrect) +"/"+str(totalCards))   Gaeilge() 

gaeilge_flashcard_mode.txt:

I=mé=(pron) (emphatic) I=mise=(n/a) you=tú=(pron) (subject) you=tusa=(emphatic) y'all=sibh=(plural) y'all=sibhse=(emphatic) he=sé=(pron) he=é=(n/a) he=seisean=(emphatic) he=eisean=(n/a) she=sí=(pron) she=í=(n/a) she=sise=(emphatic) she=ise=(emphatic) him=é=(pron) him=eisean=(emphatic) her=í=(pron) her=ise=(emphatic) her=a=(adj) 

Answer 1

The terminal you are trying to run this on probably uses Python 2.x as standard.

Try using the command "Python3" specifically in the terminal:

$ Python3 yourfile.py

(Tested and confirmed that 2.7 will give that error and that Python3 handles it just fine.)

Answer 2

using io.open() instead of open removed this error for me eg:

import io with io.open('gaeilge_flashcard_mode.txt','r', encoding='utf8') as file:     for line in file:         line1 = line.rstrip().split("=")         key = line1[0]         trans = line1[1]         PoS = line1[2]         Flashcards(key, trans, PoS) 

reference: see this answer