Python Error: WindowsError: [Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified:

Question

The following code:

import subprocess

collection = filename[:filename.find('.')]

working_directory = 'C://Users//Admin//Downloads//'
json_file = filename + '.json'

mongoimport_cmd = 'mongoimport -h 127.0.0.1:27017 ' + \
                  '--db ' + db_name + \
                  ' --collection ' + collection + \
                  ' --file ' + working_directory + json_file

# Before importing, drop collection if it exists (i.e. a re-run)
if collection in db.collection_names():
    print 'Dropping collection: ' + collection
    db[collection].drop()

# Execute the command
print 'Executing: ' + mongoimport_cmd

subprocess.call(mongoimport_cmd.split())

Is giving me this error (WindowsError: [Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified):

Executing: mongoimport -h 127.0.0.1:27017 --db sacramento --collection sacramento --file C:/Users/Admin/Downloads/sacramento.osm.json

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WindowsError                              Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-232-09c1f8f6a3e4> in <module>()
     16 print 'Executing: ' + mongoimport_cmd
     17 
---> 18 subprocess.call(mongoimport_cmd.split())

C:\Users\Admin\Anaconda2\envs\DAND\lib\subprocess.pyc in call(*popenargs, **kwargs)
    521     retcode = call(["ls", "-l"])
    522     """
--> 523     return Popen(*popenargs, **kwargs).wait()
    524 
    525 

C:\Users\Admin\Anaconda2\envs\DAND\lib\subprocess.pyc in __init__(self, args, bufsize, executable, stdin, stdout, stderr, preexec_fn, close_fds, shell, cwd, env, universal_newlines, startupinfo, creationflags)
    709                                 p2cread, p2cwrite,
    710                                 c2pread, c2pwrite,
--> 711                                 errread, errwrite)
    712         except Exception:
    713             # Preserve original exception in case os.close raises.

C:\Users\Admin\Anaconda2\envs\DAND\lib\subprocess.pyc in _execute_child(self, args, executable, preexec_fn, close_fds, cwd, env, universal_newlines, startupinfo, creationflags, shell, to_close, p2cread, p2cwrite, c2pread, c2pwrite, errread, errwrite)
    957                                          env,
    958                                          cwd,
--> 959                                          startupinfo)
    960             except pywintypes.error, e:
    961                 # Translate pywintypes.error to WindowsError, which is

WindowsError: [Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified

Things tried:

os.path.abspath. changing file path to relative, absolute, raw string, double backlash. mongodb is running in the background when doing this check.

Rahul · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-14 02:11:34Z

0

In windows it is best practice to use path like.

working_directory = r'C:\Users\Admin\Downloads'

and use

import os
file_path = os.path.join(working_directory, json_file)

For path concatenation.

edited Mar 14, 2018 at 2:11

answered Mar 14, 2018 at 1:37

Rahul

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7 Comments

Connor John Over a year ago

alternatively you can do: working_directory = 'C:\\Users\\Admin\\Downloads\\'

Rahul Over a year ago

Yeah bur using raw string looks preaty.

Saher Ahwal Over a year ago

yes definitely use os.path.join for path concatenation.

kindall Over a year ago

This isn't the problem. Windows will use forward slashes just fine.

Rahul Over a year ago

But why downvote. This is not misguiding answer. This will help op to write more readable code.

|

Saher Ahwal · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-14 06:20:55Z

0

You have the wrong slash for Windows should be backslash \\ instead of the forward slash.

Error code 2 means file not found (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms681382(v=vs.85).aspx)

You also need to make sure the file exists (the json file). If you go to the command line in windows and run this command:

C:\Users\Admin\Downloads>dir  C:\Users\Admin\Downloads\<yourfile>.json
 Volume in drive C is Windows8_OS
 Volume Serial Number is CC65-A251

 Directory of C:\Users\Admin\Downloads

06/03/2017  02:05 PM         2,390,114 <yourfile>.json
               1 File(s)      2,390,114 bytes
               0 Dir(s)  723,947,110,400 bytes free

Changing working_directory variable to be as follows might solve your problem working_directory = 'C:\\Users\\Admin\\Downloads\\'

edited Mar 14, 2018 at 6:20

answered Mar 14, 2018 at 1:40

Saher Ahwal

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5 Comments

kindall Over a year ago

Windows is perfectly happy with forward slashes (even doubled ones like are being used in the question).

Saher Ahwal Over a year ago

@kindall double slashes are for escaping. Windows is not fine with forward slashes. If anything, it is possible that python will convert if you use certain path api (os.path). However, he is calling subprocess subprocess.call(mongoimport_cmd.split()) where his string for file is C:/Users/Admin/Downloads which doesn't work on Windows. The double slashes is for escaping, double backslash equals to one and same for double forward slashes.

kindall Over a year ago

Windows is fine using forward slashes.

Saher Ahwal Over a year ago

@kindall try the above dir command with forward slashes and show me how it delivers correct output.

kindall Over a year ago

It produces exactly the same output as the version with the backward slashes. (That exact path doesn't exist on my machine, but dir commands of paths do exist work fine with either type of slash.) Of course, you have to quote the paths because otherwise cmd.exe thinks the slashes begin switches, but that's specific to cmd.exe, and would also occur if you had a hyphen in the path. OP is not using cmd.exe.

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