Python Directory and Files Management

1. Getting Current Working Directory

import os

current_dir = os.getcwd()
print(current_dir)

Returns the directory from which the Python script is executed.

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2. Changing the Working Directory

import os

os.chdir("C:/Projects")
print(os.getcwd())

Changes the active working directory for file operations.

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3. Listing Files and Directories

import os

items = os.listdir(".")
print(items)

Returns all files and folders in the specified directory.

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4. Creating a Directory

import os

os.mkdir("new_folder")
os.makedirs("parent/child/grandchild")

• mkdir() creates a single directory

• makedirs() creates nested directories

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5. Checking File or Directory Existence

import os

print(os.path.exists("data.txt"))      # True or False
print(os.path.isfile("data.txt"))     # Checks file
print(os.path.isdir("new_folder"))    # Checks directory

Essential for safe file operations.

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6. Creating and Writing to a File

with open("sample.txt", "w") as file:
    file.write("Hello, Python File System")

Creates the file if it does not exist and writes content.

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7. Reading from a File

with open("sample.txt", "r") as file:
    content = file.read()

print(content)

Reads the entire content of the file into a string.

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8. Renaming and Deleting Files

import os

os.rename("sample.txt", "renamed.txt")
os.remove("renamed.txt")

Used to manage file lifecycle.

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9. Copying and Moving Files

import shutil

shutil.copy("source.txt", "backup.txt")
shutil.move("backup.txt", "archive/backup.txt")

Provides advanced file handling capabilities.

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10. Modern File Handling with pathlib

from pathlib import Path

file_path = Path("example.txt")

file_path.write_text("Using pathlib module")
print(file_path.read_text())

print(file_path.exists())
print(file_path.parent)

pathlib offers an object-oriented and cleaner approach for file and directory manipulation.

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