OS Path module in Python
OS Path module contains some useful functions on pathnames. The path parameters are either strings or bytes. These functions here are used for different purposes such as for merging, normalizing, and retrieving path names in Python. All of these functions accept either only bytes or only string objects as their parameters. The result is an object of the same type if a path or file name is returned. As there are different versions of the operating system there are several versions of this module in the standard library. In this article, we will start working with Paths in the Python OS Module.
Working with Paths in Python OS Module
Below are some OS Path functions by which we can do Path Manipulation in the Python OS Module:
- os.path.basename(path)
- os.path.dirname(path)
- os.path.isabs(path)
- os.path.isdir(path)
- os.path.isfile(path)
- os.path.normcase(path)
- os.path.normpath(path)
os.path.basename(path)
os.path.basename(path) is used to return the basename of the file. This function returns the file name from the path given.
- Python3
Python3
# basename functionimport osout = os.path.basename("/baz/foo")print(out) |
foo
os.path.dirname(path)
os.path.dirname(path) is used to return the directory name from the path given. This function returns the name from the path except the path name.
- Python3
Python3
# dirname functionimport osout = os.path.dirname("/baz/foo")print(out) |
/baz
os.path.isabs(path)
os.path.isabs(path) specifies whether the path is absolute or not. In Unix system absolute path means path begins with the slash(‘/’) and in Windows that it begins with a (back)slash after chopping off a potential drive letter.
- Python
Python
# isabs functionimport osout = os.path.isabs("/baz/foo")print(out) |
True
os.path.isdir(path)
os.path.isdir(path) function specifies whether the path is existing directory or not.
- Python
Python
# isdir functionimport osout = os.path.isdir("C:\\Users")print(out) |
Output:
True
os.path.isfile(path)
os.path.isfile(path) function specifies whether the path is existing file or not.
- Python
Python
# isfile functionimport osout = os.path.isfile("C:\\Users\foo.csv")print(out) |
Output:
True
os.path.normcase(path)
os.path.normcase(path) function normalizes the case of the pathname specified. In Unix and Mac OS X system it returns the pathname as it is . But in Windows it converts the path to lowercase and forward slashes to backslashes.
- Python
Python
# normcase function in windowsimport osout = os.path.normcase("/BAz")print(out) |
Output:
'\\baz'
os.path.normpath(path)
os.path.normpath(path) function normalizes the path names by collapsing redundant separators and up-level references so that A//B, A/B/, A/./B and A/foo/../B all become A/B. On Windows, it converts forward slashes to backward slashes .
- Python
Python
# normpath function in Uniximport osout = os.path.normpath("foo/./bar")print(out) |
Output:
'foo/bar'
