Why is strftime("%x") not working in my python code?

Question

So I am trying to rename a file that has been downloaded to my downloads folder.

My code:

import os
from time import strftime

current_time = strftime("(%x-%Xp)")

old_name = r'C:/Users/name/Downloads/file.pdf'
new_name = r'C:/Users/name/Downloads/file'+current_time+'.pdf'
os.rename(old_name, new_name)

However, I keep geting this error:

FileNotFoundError: [WinError 3] The system cannot find the path specified: 'C:/Users/darianmoore/Downloads/file.pdf' -> 'C:/Users/darianmoore/Downloads/file(12/31/19-10:47:47AM).pdf'

I'm very confused because if I use this code it works fine, but it's not the formatting I want:

import os
from time import strftime

current_time = strftime("(%m%d%y-%I%M%p)")

old_name = r'C:/Users/name/Downloads/file.pdf'
new_name = r'C:/Users/name/Downloads/file'+current_time+'.pdf'
os.rename(old_name, new_name)

I don't think you can add colons or slashes to filenames in Windows. — merit_2, Dec 31 '19 at 17:00
Workaround: Simply format the time string so it doesn't contain any slashes and colons. — martineau, Dec 31 '19 at 17:05

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 31 '19 at 16:59

4

File name cannot contain a slash. file(12/31/19-10:47:47AM).pdf does.

answered Dec 31 '19 at 16:59

Marat

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Why is strftime("%x") not working in my python code?

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