Making new directory with python os

Question

I'm python beginner. I wanted to make 50 directories in my laptop with python. IDK what to do plz help

import os
from os.path import *

home = expanduser('~')

dl_path = home + '\\Downloads'

def main():
    if not os.path.exist(dl_path):
        print("path does'nt exist")
        os.makedirs(dl_path)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    a = 1
    while a<= 50:
        main()
        a += 1

This is my code which doesn't work :( I don't know if it's given an error but here it is:

What exactly is the problem? Are you getting an error? The wrong result? — Mureinik, May 02 '21 at 08:54
aren't you just creating the same directory 50 times? also you should look into basic python for loops, this is not how you write a loop in python — AntiMatterDynamite, May 02 '21 at 08:55
Does this answer your question? [How can I safely create a nested directory?](https://stackoverflow.com/q/273192/6045800) — Tomerikoo, May 02 '21 at 09:24

freude · Answer 1 · 2021-05-02T09:21:17.167

Instead of '+' it is better to use os.path.join - it works with filenames in a smarter way. Also, you have forgotten to elaborate on the else statement, when you do the actual job instead of throwing an exception. Also, you need a new name for each new directory - they can't all have the same name. Also, do you want nested directories or directories at the same level?

This makes directories at the same level.

import os
from os.path import *

home = expanduser('~')

dl_path = os.path.join(home, 'Downloads')

def main():
    if not os.path.exist(dl_path):
        print("path does'nt exist")
    else:
        a = 1
        while a <= 50:
            os.makedirs(os.path.join(dl_path, str(a)))
            a += 1

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

This makes nested directories:

import os
from os.path import *

home = expanduser('~')

dl_path = home

def main():
    if not os.path.exist(dl_path):
        print("path does'nt exist")
    else:
        a = 1
        while a <= 50:
            dl_path = os.makedirs(os.path.join(dl_path, 'Downloads'))
            a += 1
        os.makedirs(dl_path)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

I would suggest to use for loop for known number of iterations: https://support.khanacademy.org/hc/en-us/articles/203327020-When-do-I-use-a-for-loop-and-when-do-I-use-a-while-loop-in-the-JavaScript-challenges- — johnymachine, May 02 '21 at 09:27

Making new directory with python os

1 Answers1