Docs: Recommend `read(filename, String)` and `write(filename, contents)` instead of `open`

[fonsp]

Julia has two super easy to use functions:

julia> write("hello.txt", "world")
5

julia> read("hello.txt", String)
"world"

That should cover file I/O needs in most cases, without having to deal with file handlers! 🎉 I think this is really useful for many (beginner) users, but not visible enough. Whenever I give this tip to a new Julia user, they react along the lines of: "If only I knew this earlier!"

We should recommend this in our docs. My suggestions:

1. Right now, our manual entry on "Working with files" uses open(filename::String, mode::String) to create a file handler (the first handler is even left open!). Instead, this first example could use my above snippet. (Also, Working with Files could be its own chapter in the manual?) Docs: networking-and-streams: document direct read and write without streaming #49834
2. write should have a short, simple docstring for just the write(filename::String, x) method. Docs: simple docstring for write(filename::AbstractString, x) #49835 and Docs: simple docstring for read(filename::AbstractString) #49836
3. The docstrings for read(filename::String, args...) and write(filename::String, x) should appear more prominently in the page IO and Network, before the open function. Simple filename methods should appear before IO methods. Docs: io-network: list read(::String) and write(::String,::Any) before open #49837
4. isfile could use the direct read and write methods. docs: isfile: direct write instead of IO #45261
5. We could add links to read and write from the Filesystem chapter. Docs: file: list read and write again #49838

I would be happy to write this PR myself, let me know which of these points (1-5) are welcome!

[austin-pereira]

can I work on this issue please

[oscardssmith]

you don't need to ask. Just make a PR.

[Ellipse0934]

The manual entry you've linked is inside the Networking and Streams category which makes it fine imo.

However, I would like to suggest a new section Working with files in the manual section itself instead of Manual > Networking and Streams > Working with Fileswith the following contents

1. pwd(), isfile(), readdir() to check for files and traverse the filesystem tree.
2. Simple read(filename, String) & write(filename, str) as Fons as suggested.
3. Pointer to FileWatching stdlib.
4. Pointer to the Networking & Streams > Files section to work with OS file descriptor friendly code.
5. Pointer to delimited files stdlib and mmap files.

When I say pointer I mean a short example and write up followed by a link to the section with docstrings.

[fonsp]

I made a bunch of PRs!

#49834
#49835
#49836
#49837
#49838