{"id":2358,"date":"2020-01-07T15:20:26","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T15:20:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.askpython.com\/?p=2358"},"modified":"2023-02-16T19:57:19","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T19:57:19","slug":"python-directory-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.askpython.com\/python\/python-directory-operations","title":{"rendered":"Python Directory Operations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Directory<\/strong><\/code> is basically a structure that contains all the corresponding documents, files, and folders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Python’s os module<\/a> contains multiple functions for directory management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Python directories functions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
os.access(path, mode)<\/em><\/strong>
It uses the uid<\/code> to check for the path’s access.<\/td><\/tr>
os.chdir(path)<\/em><\/strong>
It changes the CWD to the path specified by the user.<\/td><\/tr>
os.chflags(path, flags)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to set the flags to the numeric flags.<\/td><\/tr>
os.chmod(path, mode)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to change the path’s mode to the numeric mode.<\/td><\/tr>
os.chown(path, uid, gid)<\/em><\/strong>
It changes the group id and owner of path<\/em> to the numeric uid<\/code> and gid<\/code>. <\/td><\/tr>
os.chroot(path)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to change the root directory of the currently executing process to the path specified by the user.<\/td><\/tr>
os.fchdir(fd)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to change the CWD to the directory represented in the file descriptor fd<\/code>. <\/td><\/tr>
os.getcwd()<\/em><\/strong>
It returns the current working directory (CWD).<\/td><\/tr>
os.getcwdu()<\/em><\/strong>
It returns Unicode object as output, represented by the CWD.<\/td><\/tr>
os.lchmod(path, mode)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to change the path’s mode to the numeric mode.<\/td><\/tr>
os.listdir(path)<\/em><\/strong>
Returns a list containing the names of the entries in the directory given by path.<\/td><\/tr>
os.lstat(path)<\/em><\/strong>
<\/td><\/tr>
os.makedirs(path[, mode])<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to create the directories in a recursive manner.<\/td><\/tr>
os.mkdir( )<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to creates a new directory with a named path.<\/td><\/tr>
os.mkfifo(path[, mode])<\/em><\/strong>
<\/td><\/tr>
os.readlink(path)<\/em><\/strong>
<\/td><\/tr>
os.removedirs(path)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to remove the corresponding directories recursively.<\/td><\/tr>
os.rename(src, dst)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to rename the src directory to the dst.<\/td><\/tr>
os.renames(old, new)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to rename the old directories with a new one in a recursive manner.<\/td><\/tr>
os.rmdir(path)<\/em><\/strong>
It is used to remove the directory specified by the user. <\/td><\/tr>
os.stat(path)<\/em><\/strong>
<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

1. Creating of a New Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Python’s os module provides mkdir()<\/strong><\/code> function to create a new directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syntax:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

os.mkdir('name')<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n
\nimport os\nos.mkdir('C:\/python1') #create a direcotry abc in C:\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n
Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Create
Create Directory<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
2. Get the Current Working Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The getcwd()<\/strong><\/code> function is used to get the location of the CWD.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nimport os\nos.getcwd() \n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n
Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
wdir='C:\/Users\/HP\/PycharmProjects\/Hello'<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
3. Rename a Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The rename()<\/strong><\/code> function is used to rename the CWD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Syntax:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
os.rename(old,new)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
4. Fetch the List of Files\/Directories in a Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The listdir()<\/strong><\/code> function is used to get the list of all the directories and files present in the current directory.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nimport os\nos.listdir('C:\\\\Users\\\\HP')\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n
Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
['.android', '.AndroidStudio3.5', '.crashlytics', '.eclipse', '.emulator_console_auth_token', '.gradle', '.idlerc', '.m2', '.nbi', '.netbeans-derby', '.p2', '.PyCharm2019.3', '.RapidMiner', '.tooling', '.vscode', '3D Objects', 'Anaconda3', 'Anaconda3_1', 'AndroidStudioProjects', 'AppData', 'Application Data', 'Contacts', 'Cookies', 'Desktop', 'Documents', 'Downloads', 'eclipse', 'eclipse-workspace', 'Favorites', 'get-pip.py', 'HP', 'IntelGraphicsProfiles', 'Links', 'Local Settings', 'MicrosoftEdgeBackups']<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
5. Remove a Directory in Python<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The rmdir()<\/strong><\/code> function is used to delete a directory, which is already empty. If the directory is not empty, it won’t be deleted.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nimport os\nos.rmdir('C:\\\\Users\\\\HP\\\\Pictures\\\\Screenshots\\\\python')\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
6. Check if a Python directory exists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The os.path.exists(path)<\/strong><\/code> function is used to check whether a particular directory exists or not.<\/p>\n\n\n
\nimport os\nos.path.exists('C:\\\\Users\\\\HP\\\\Pictures\\\\Screenshots')\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n
Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
True<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Python os module provides multiple functions to work with directories. We learned how to create, rename, and delete directories in a Python program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
References<\/h2>\n\n\n\n