How to Use the os Module for High-Level File Operations Such as Iterating, Moving, and More

The os package in Python provides a wide range of functionalities for interacting with the operating system. One of the most commonly used aspects of this package is its ability to perform file and folder operations such as iteration, deletion, creation, moving, and opening. In this article, we'll explore how to utilize the os package for these tasks. Iterate Through All the Items Within a Folder You can use the os package in Python to iterate through all the items within a folder using the os.listdir() method. And you can use the os.path.join function to concatenate the folder path with each item in the folder to get the absolute path. Here's an example of how to do it: import os # Replace 'folder_path' with the path of the folder you want to iterate through folder_path = 'path_to_folder' # Iterate through all items in the folder for item in os.listdir(folder_path): print(item) # Get the absolute path of the item item_path = os.path.join(folder_path, item) # Display the absolute path of the item print(item_path) In this example, returns a list of all the items (files and subfolders) in the specified folder. You can then iterate through this list and perform any operations you need for each item. os.listdir(folder_path) Remember to replace with the actual path of the folder you want to iterate through. 'path_to_folder' Deleting Files and Folders The package provides methods to delete both files and folders. Here's how you can achieve this: os To Delete a File: import os os.remove('file_path/file.txt') To Delete an Empty Folder: import os os.rmdir('folder_path') # Replace with the actual folder path To Delete a Non-Empty Folder and All Its Contents: import shutil shutil.rmtree('folder_path') # Replace with the actual folder path Remember to replace and with the actual paths of the file or folder you want to delete. Use these functions with caution as they will permanently delete the specified files or folders. 'file_path/file.txt' 'folder_path' Creating Folders Creating a new folder using the package is straightforward: os import os os.mkdir('new_folder') # Replace with the desired folder name Moving and Renaming Files/Folders The package allows us to move and rename files and folders as well. Here's an example of moving a file: os import os os.rename('old_location/file.txt', 'new_location/file.txt') Opening Files and Folders You can also open a folder in the default file explorer using the package. For instance, to open a folder in the File Explorer (Windows): os import os os.startfile('folder_path') # Replace with the actual folder path Conclusion The package in Python offers powerful capabilities for file and folder operations, allowing developers to efficiently manage file system tasks within their applications. os By utilizing the methods provided by the package, you can seamlessly iterate, delete, create, move, and open files and folders in your Python programs. os Thank you for taking the time to explore data-related insights with me. I appreciate your engagement. If you find this information helpful, I invite you to follow me or connect with me on . Happy exploring!👋 LinkedIn Also published here