How to use "/" (directory separator) in both Linux and Windows in Python?

Question

I have written a code in python which uses / to make a particular file in a folder, if I want to use the code in windows it will not work, is there a way by which I can use the code in Windows and Linux.

In python I am using this code:

pathfile=os.path.dirname(templateFile)
rootTree.write(''+pathfile+'/output/log.txt')

When I will use my code in suppose windows machine my code will not work.

How do I use "/" (directory separator) in both Linux and Windows?

Answer 1

Use os.path.join(). Example: os.path.join(pathfile,"output","log.txt").

In your code that would be: rootTree.write(os.path.join(pathfile,"output","log.txt"))

Answer 2

Use:

import os
print os.sep

to see how separator looks on a current OS.
In your code you can use:

import os
path = os.path.join('folder_name', 'file_name')

Answer 3

You can use os.sep:

>>> import os
>>> os.sep
'/'

Answer 4

os.path.normpath(pathname) should also be mentioned as it converts / path separators into \ separators on Windows. It also collapses redundant uplevel references... i.e., A/B and A/foo/../B and A/./B all become A/B. And if you are Windows, these all become A\B.

Answer 5

If you are fortunate enough to be running Python 3.4+, you can use pathlib:

from pathlib import Path

path = Path(dir, subdir, filename)  # returns a path of the system's path flavour

or, equivalently,

path = Path(dir) / subdir / filename

Answer 6

Some useful links that will help you:

• os.sep
• os.path
• os.pathsep

Answer 7

Do a import os and then use os.sep

Answer 8

You can use "os.sep "

 import os
 pathfile=os.path.dirname(templateFile)
 directory = str(pathfile)+os.sep+'output'+os.sep+'log.txt'
 rootTree.write(directory)

Answer 9

Don't build directory and file names your self, use python's included libraries.

In this case the relevant one is os.path. Especially join which creates a new pathname from a directory and a file name or directory and split that gets the filename from a full path.

Your example would be

pathfile=os.path.dirname(templateFile)
p = os.path.join(pathfile, 'output')
p = os.path.join( p, 'log.txt')
rootTree.write(p)

Answer 10

If someone is looking for something like this:

He/she wants to know the parent directory and then go to the sub-folders and maybe than to a specific file. If so, I use the following approach.

1. I am using python 3.9 as of now. So in that version, we have the os module for handling such tasks. So, for getting the parent directory:

parent_dir = os.path.pardir

2. It's a good coding practice to not hardcode the file path separators (/ or \). Instead, use the operating system dependant mechanism provided by the above-mentioned os module. It makes your code very much reusable for other purposes/people. It goes like this (just an example) :

path = os.path.pardir + os.sep + 'utils' + os.sep + 'properties.ini'

print(f'The path to my global properties file is :: {path}')

Output:

..\utils\properties.ini

You can surely look at the whole documentation here : https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.html

Answer 11

I use pathlib for most things, so I like: pathlib.os.sep.

Usually pathlib is the better choice if you don't need os!