Managing hidden files and folders in a directory is an essential part of building cleanup scripts or automation tools. On Windows, hidden files are not prefixed with a dot but instead they are marked using specific file attributes. In this article, we will explore how to remove those hidden files and directories programatically using Python. Filtering by Dot Prefix (Unix/Linux/macOS) On Unix-based systems, the files or folders starting with a dot "." are considered hidden. We can use this naming pattern to filter and remove hidden files. Here is an example of removing the hidden files and directories present in ... Read More

Listing files and directories using Python is a common task in many applications, from file management tools to automated scripts. However, when we are working on the Windows Operating System, the hidden files and folders are marked using specific file attributes, which can clutter the output if not handled properly. Unlike Unix-based systems, where hidden files typically start with a dot such as .hidden) whereas Windows uses metadata to mark files as hidden. In this article, we'll explore several methods to list only non-hidden files and directories. Basic Filtering by Name Prefix This is the basic Filtering method, which checks ... Read More

A computer's file system's directory is an organisational feature used to store and locate files. A tree of directories is created by organising directories hierarchically. There are parent-child relationships in directories. A folder can also be used to refer to a directory. Python has accumulated a number of APIs that can list the directory contents over time. Useful functions include Path.iterdir, os.scandir, os.walk, Path.rglob, and os.listdir. We could need a list of files or folders in a given directory in Python. You can accomplish this in a number of ways. OS module A function that returns a list of the ... Read More

Pseudo-terminals (pty) are an advanced and powerful technique in Python when we are dealing with terminal-based processes or simulating interactive sessions programmatically. A pseudo-terminal allows a process to connect to a real terminal. Python provides a built-in pty module that helps in creating and managing these terminal pairs. In this article, we will learn how to open a new pseudo-terminal pair using Python. Using pty.openpty() The pty module in Python provides the openpty() function that returns a tuple containing file descriptors for the master and slave ends of a new pseudo-terminal pair. Example Following is an example, which shows ... Read More

Creating an empty file is a common task in programming when we are initializing log files, setting up placeholders or working with automation scripts. Python provides several easy and flexible methods to create empty files. In this article, we'll go through different ways to create an empty file in Python. Using open() with Write Mode 'w' The open() function is the most straightforward way to create an empty file. When we use the write mode 'w', then it creates a new file if it doesn't exist. Example Following is an example, which shows how to create an empty file using ... Read More

In some scenarios, it is important to determine the MIME type of a file to verify its content type, especially when working with file uploads or handling media files. Python provides modules such as mimetypes and magic to determine the MIME type of a file. In this article, we’ll explore different methods to find a file's MIME type using Python. Using mimetypes.guess_type() The mimetypes module in Python provides the guess_type() function, which is used to guess the MIME type and to encode of a file based on its filename or URL. Example In this example, we are using the mimetypes.guess_type() ... Read More

In a few scenarios, we need to extract the extension of a file to perform specific operations based on its type, such as validating image formats or filtering document files. Python provides different ways to achieve this using the os and pathlib modules. In this article, we'll explore how to get a file’s extension with different approaches.  Using os.path.splitext() The OS file path manipulation is made simple with the help of the Python os.path module. It provides methods to perform operations to receive data from file paths, opening, saving, and updating. The os.path.splitext() method of the os module in Python ... Read More

In few scenarios, we need to change the extension of a file programmatically such as renaming a .txt file to .md or converting .csv to .json. Python provides different ways to do this using the os and pathlib modules. In this article, we’ll explore how to change a file’s extension using both approaches. Using os.path.splitext() The os.path.splitext() method of the os module in Python is used to split the file name into the name and extension. We can use this method to strip off the old extension and add the new extension. Example In this example, we are using the os.path.splitext() ... Read More

The Python shutil module provides a number of functions for high-level operations on individual files and file collections. In this article, we will go through different methods of moving a file from one folder to another using Python. Using the OS Module The Python OS module gives users the ability to create interactions with their operating systems. Using shutil.move() method Following is an example which shows how to move a file from one folder to another using shutil.move() method - # importing the modules import shutil import os # Providing the folder path origin = 'C:\Users\Lenovo\Downloads\Works' target = 'C:\Users\Lenovo\Downloads\Work ... Read More

We can easily check the Odd or Even by using conditional statements. We can divide the number by 2, then check whether the remainder is 0 or not. If 0, then it is even. We can also perform the AND operation with the number and 1. If the answer is 0, then it is even; otherwise odd. There is no need to use conditional statements in both approaches. We will see two different methods to check the odd or even. Using Modulo Operator This approach uses the Modulo Operator ... Read More