What is the function of the read() method in Python file handling?

The read() method in Python file handling is used to read the entire content of a file as a string. This method is typically used when you need to load and process the entire file content at once.

# Example of reading a file's content
with open("example.txt", "r") as file:
    content = file.read()
    print(content)

In this example, the read() method is used to read all the contents of example.txt and store it in the variable content.

The read() method is useful for tasks where you need to work with the complete content of a file, such as when processing configuration files or analyzing logs.