Python: Having difficulty obtaining current path of script

Question

I'm very new to programming, and to Python. I'm on Mac OSX, trying to work with PyCharm. I've looked at this, this, this, and several more.

But I can't seem to get the path of the current running file. If I use os.getcwd(), I get

'/Users/AlanH/Python'

When really, the full file path is:

'/Users/AlanH/Python/Exercises/PythonBasics/starthere.py'

So I don't understand why that doesn't work.

If I try using sys.path[0], it prings up a path that takes me to my Library, then dives in to Enthought (don't know why, even though I'm using Anaconda distribution).

I could go on and on about all the possible solutions I've tried, but nothing works. All I want is to get the exact path up to current running file. So either

'/Users/AlanH/Python/Exercises/PythonBasics/starthere.py'

or this

'/Users/AlanH/Python/Exercises/PythonBasics'

will do.

Could someone please help?

@leeor If I use that solution, it doesn't give the proper path. It gives `'/Users/AlanH/Python/starthere.py'`, which I don't understand because no such file exists in my Python folder — TheRealFakeNews, Sep 20 '15 at 10:07
@AnandSKumar I don't understand how to use that. Do I literally type in `__file__`? — TheRealFakeNews, Sep 20 '15 at 10:07
@AnandSKumar I literally typed in `print(__file__)` and I got back `name '__file__' is not defined` — TheRealFakeNews, Sep 20 '15 at 15:39

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 20 '15 at 11:50

1

import os
print(os.path.abspath(__file__))

Locally tested with the following result:

eb@cube ~/Share $ python stackoverflow/path.py
/home/eb/Share/stackoverflow/path.py

answered Sep 20 '15 at 11:50

Eirik Birkeland

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5
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@ErikBirkeland Do you literally, verbatim, type `__file__` ? Or is that a representation for your file name? – TheRealFakeNews Sep 20 '15 at 15:41
Yes. `__file__` is a variable of sorts containing the file name, or so it should. – Eirik Birkeland Sep 20 '15 at 15:50
Have a look here perhaps: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/7783308/os-path-dirname-file-returns-empty – Eirik Birkeland Sep 20 '15 at 15:51
I've tested the above on Python 2.7.4 and 3.4.0 on Linux, as well as 2.7.3 on Windows 7. Hm. – Eirik Birkeland Sep 20 '15 at 15:53
Can you try this: `print(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))` – Eirik Birkeland Sep 20 '15 at 15:54

Python: Having difficulty obtaining current path of script

1 Answers1