How to make pandas read empty data file as an empty dataframe?

Question

We can assign an empty dataframe with pandas.

import pandas as pd
zero = pd.DataFrame()
zero
Empty DataFrame
Columns: []
Index: []

The zero dataframe is empty containing nothing in it,create a empty data file containing nothing in it.

fh = open('/tmp/test.txt','w')
fh.close()

The file /tmp/test.txt is empty.

newzero = pd.read_csv('/tmp/test.txt',header=None)
pandas.errors.EmptyDataError: No columns to parse from file

How to make pandas read an empty file and assign it as a empty dataframe such as zero shows ? Is there a way to add some argument to make the below commands running without error info.

newzero = pd.read_csv('/tmp/test.txt',header=None,add some argument)
newzero
Empty DataFrame
Columns: []
Index: []

Partha Mandal · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-27 13:13:51Z

1

This seems to be the straightforward way of doing it :

import pandas as pd
fh = open('/tmp/test.txt','w')
fh.close()

try:
    newzero = pd.read_csv('/tmp/test.txt',header=None)
except pd.errors.EmptyDataError:
    new_zero = pd.DataFrame()

answered Jun 27, 2020 at 13:13

Partha Mandal

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Comments

xszym · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-28 08:40:13Z

0

You can catch exception and create a empty data frame

import pandas as pd
zero = pd.DataFrame()
fh = open('/tmp/test.txt','r')
fh.close()
try:
    newzero = pd.read_csv('test.txt',header=None)
except pd.errors.EmptyDataError:
    newzero = pd.DataFrame()

edited Jun 28, 2020 at 8:40

answered Jun 27, 2020 at 13:13

xszym

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3 Comments

showkey Over a year ago

Please format your code with just four blank at the beginning of the indent line.

xszym Over a year ago

Right. I did :)

showkey Over a year ago

Maybe it is better to set the two variables nozero and newzero as one newzero.

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