Write file to directory based on variable in Python

Question

The script will generate multiple files using the year and id variable. These files need to be placed into a folder matching year and id. How do I write them to the correct folders?

file_root_name = row["file_root_name"]
year = row["year"]
id = row["id"]
path = year+'-'+id
try:
    os.makedirs(path)
except:
    pass
output = open(row['file_root_name']+'.smil', 'w')
output.write(prettify(doctype, root))

Are you asking how to put directory and file name together using os.path.join? Is that what you're struggling with? — S.Lott
– S.Lott, Commented Dec 30, 2011 at 23:11
The script will generate multiple files using the year and id variable. These files need to be placed into a folder matching year and id. — David Vasandani
– David Vasandani, Commented Dec 30, 2011 at 23:14
That's what the question says. Folder names and file names are combined with os.path.join. Are you asking how to use os.path.join? — S.Lott
– S.Lott, Commented Dec 30, 2011 at 23:15

user742071 · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-30 23:14:06Z

2

If I understand your question correctly, you want to do this:

import os.path
file_name = row['file_root_name']+'.smil'
full_path = os.path.join(path, file_name)
output = open(full_path, 'w')

Please note that it's not very common in Python to use the + operator for string concatenation. Although not in your case, with large strings the method is not very fast. I'd prefer:

file_name = '%s.smil' % row['file_root_name']

and:

path = '%i-%i' % (year, id)

answered Dec 30, 2011 at 23:14

user742071

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6 Comments

David Vasandani Over a year ago

Thank you for the clarification. I'm just beginning and learning by example.

David Vasandani Over a year ago

with your methon I get TypeError: %d format: a number is required, not str

S.Lott Over a year ago

@DavidNeudorfer: Why is the year or id a string? They're usually numbers. If %i or %d don't work, you have a string, and must use %s.

DSM Over a year ago

@S.Lott: from a previous question I know that his year and id are coming from a csv.DictReader row, and are left as they're found, hence the strings.

David Vasandani Over a year ago

@S.Lott I pulled year and id from a csv. id is the artist name and just happens to be the header for that column.

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