Python [Errno 22] Invalid argument when copy a file from one folder to another

Question

I am using the files from a video tutorial. At the beginning, it starts to spread the files of input image data by copying them in various folders. The code works in the tutorial but I wonder why I get the following error:

[Errno 22] Invalid argument: 'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\train\cat.1.jpg'

Here is the code. At first it creates the directories.(The catdogKaggle\train contains the input images):

import os, shutil
# The path to the directory where the original
# dataset was uncompressed
original_dataset_dir = 'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\train'

# The directory where we will
# store our smaller dataset
base_dir = 'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\catORdog'

os.mkdir(base_dir)

# Directories for our training,
# validation and test splits
train_dir = os.path.join(base_dir, 'train')
os.mkdir(train_dir)
validation_dir = os.path.join(base_dir, 'validation')
os.mkdir(validation_dir)
test_dir = os.path.join(base_dir, 'test')
os.mkdir(test_dir)

# Directory with our training cat pictures
train_cats_dir = os.path.join(train_dir, 'cats')
os.mkdir(train_cats_dir)

# Directory with our training dog pictures
train_dogs_dir = os.path.join(train_dir, 'dogs')
os.mkdir(train_dogs_dir)

# Directory with our validation cat pictures
validation_cats_dir = os.path.join(validation_dir, 'cats')
os.mkdir(validation_cats_dir)

# Directory with our validation dog pictures
validation_dogs_dir = os.path.join(validation_dir, 'dogs')
os.mkdir(validation_dogs_dir)

# Directory with our test cat pictures
test_cats_dir = os.path.join(test_dir, 'cats')
os.mkdir(test_cats_dir)

# Directory with our test dog pictures
test_dogs_dir = os.path.join(test_dir, 'dogs')
os.mkdir(test_dogs_dir)

Then copies the images into the recently created folders:

# Copy first 1000 cat images to train_cats_dir
fnames = ['cat.{}.jpg'.format(i) for i in range(1,1000)]
for fname in fnames:
    src = os.path.join(original_dataset_dir, fname)
    dst = os.path.join(train_cats_dir, fname)
    shutil.copyfile(src, dst)

# Copy next 500 cat images to validation_cats_dir
fnames = ['cat.{}.jpg'.format(i) for i in range(1000, 1500)]
for fname in fnames:
    src = os.path.join(original_dataset_dir, fname)
    dst = os.path.join(validation_cats_dir, fname)
    shutil.copy(src, dst)
    
# Copy next 500 cat images to test_cats_dir
fnames = ['cat.{}.jpg'.format(i) for i in range(1500, 2000)]
for fname in fnames:
    src = os.path.join(original_dataset_dir, fname)
    dst = os.path.join(test_cats_dir, fname)
    shutil.copyfile(src, dst)
    
# Copy first 1000 dog images to train_dogs_dir
fnames = ['dog.{}.jpg'.format(i) for i in range(1000)]
for fname in fnames:
    src = os.path.join(original_dataset_dir, fname)
    dst = os.path.join(train_dogs_dir, fname)
    shutil.copyfile(src, dst)
    
# Copy next 500 dog images to validation_dogs_dir
fnames = ['dog.{}.jpg'.format(i) for i in range(1000, 1500)]
for fname in fnames:
    src = os.path.join(original_dataset_dir, fname)
    dst = os.path.join(validation_dogs_dir, fname)
    shutil.copyfile(src, dst)
    
# Copy next 500 dog images to test_dogs_dir
fnames = ['dog.{}.jpg'.format(i) for i in range(1500, 2000)]
for fname in fnames:
    src = os.path.join(original_dataset_dir, fname)
    dst = os.path.join(test_dogs_dir, fname)
    shutil.copyfile(src, dst)

When I run this part, I get the following error:

OSError: [Errno 22] Invalid argument: 'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\train\cat.1.jpg'

Possibly because you use backslashes in `base_dir` and `original_dataset_dir`. Replace them with forward slashes `/`, as backslashes are used for escape sequences in strings. — AnsFourtyTwo, Mar 03 '21 at 10:49
@ZavenZareyan or instead prefix the string with raw literal (r) — Sandeep Gusain, Mar 03 '21 at 10:49

Paul P · Accepted Answer · 2021-03-03T16:29:19.390

You are on Windows which is why you need to escape the backslashes or use raw strings to store file paths, i.e.:

original_dataset_dir = r'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\train'

base_dir = r'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\catORdog'

or

original_dataset_dir = 'D:\\Machine Learning\\Deep Learning\\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\\catdogKaggle\\train'

base_dir = 'D:\\Machine Learning\\Deep Learning\\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\\catdogKaggle\\catORdog'

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 03 '21 at 10:54

"\t" character has a special meaning [TAB]. Either you double all the backslashes, to escape single slash. Or you can use the raw strings like below.

original_dataset_dir = 'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\train'
print(original_dataset_dir)

original_dataset_dir = r'D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\train'
print(original_dataset_dir)

output:

D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle rain
D:\Machine Learning\Deep Learning\SRU-deeplearning-workshop-master\catdogKaggle\train

Python [Errno 22] Invalid argument when copy a file from one folder to another

2 Answers2