Invalid file error Python?

Question

I'm trying to write a script that allows a user to create a folder with any name they want, and then create a file with any name they want. Once they do they, the program asks them for 3 names and writes them into the file. I then want to allow the user to input a number from 1 to 3 and display the number of lines they want. I'm getting an error right now when trying to read the file saying something along the lines of

TypeError: invalid file: <_io.TextIOWrapper name='C:blah blah ' mode='a' encoding='cp1252'>

The code is below:

import os, sys
folder = input("What would you like your folder name to be?")
path = r'C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\%s' %(folder)
if not os.path.exists(path): os.makedirs(path)
file = input("What name would you like for the file in this folder?")
file = file + ".txt"
completePath = os.path.join(path, file)
newFile = open(completePath, 'w')
newFile.close()
count = 0
while count < 3:
    newFile = open(completePath, 'a')
    write = input("Input the first and last name of someone: ")
    newFile.write(write + '\n')
    newFile.close()
    count += 1
infile = open(newFile, 'r')
display = int(input("How many names from 1 to 10 would you like to display? "))
print (infile.readlines(5))

shybovycha · Accepted Answer · 2015-03-23 15:42:10Z

6

You have newFile defiled as an opened file. Then you open it within a while loop, and it is a file, again.

And when you try then to open a file using the newFile variable, Python tries to open a file with a name, contained in a newFile variable. But it is not a file name - it is a file!

This makes Python sad...

Try this one:

import os, sys
folder = input("What would you like your folder name to be?")
path = r'C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\%s' %(folder)
if not os.path.exists(path): os.makedirs(path)
file = input("What name would you like for the file in this folder?")
file = file + ".txt"
completePath = os.path.join(path, file) # completePath is a string
newFile = open(completePath, 'w') # here, newFile is a file handle
newFile.close()
count = 0
while count < 3:
    newFile = open(completePath, 'a') # again, newFile is a file handle
    write = input("Input the first and last name of someone: ")
    newFile.write(write + '\n')
    newFile.close()
    count += 1
infile = open(completePath, 'r') # opening file with its path, not its handle
infile.readlines(2)

answered Mar 23, 2015 at 15:42

shybovycha

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4 Comments

shybovycha Over a year ago

@BrandonGandy you're welcome =) Be carefull with variables in dynamic-typed languages (like Python, Ruby, JavaScript, etc.) - they do not care if you assign file handle to a string variable and try to call open function with it ;)

OysterMaker Over a year ago

Will you look at my code editted and see why my output of the readlines isn't working correctly?

shybovycha Over a year ago

@BrandonGandy first, you are still using newFile instead of completePath (line infile = open(newFile, 'r')). Then, you are showing all the lines you've read. And what you probably want is print(''.join(infile.readlines()[:display]))

OysterMaker Over a year ago

Yeah I editted the newFile part of the code I just didn't update it on here. And your method once again did the trick. You're the man!

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