How do I create an empty file in emacs?

Question

How can I create an empty file from emacs, ideally from within a dired buffer?

For example, I\'ve just opened a Python module in dired mode, created a new directory,

Answer 1

If you want Emacs to treat all new files as modified, you can automate the solution like this:

(add-hook 'find-file-hooks 'assume-new-is-modified)
(defun assume-new-is-modified ()
  (when (not (file-exists-p (buffer-file-name)))
    (set-buffer-modified-p t)))