python make directory if not exists with code examples

In Python, the os module provides a way to create a directory if it doesn't already exist using the os.makedirs() function. The function takes one argument, which is the path of the directory to be created. Here is an example of how to use os.makedirs() to create a directory:

import os

directory = "example_directory"

if not os.path.exists(directory):
    os.makedirs(directory)

In this example, the os.path.exists() function is used to check if the specified directory already exists. If it doesn't exist, os.makedirs() is called to create the directory.

Another way to create a directory is using the os.mkdir() function. This function only creates the last directory of the path, in other words, if the parent directory does not exist, it will raise an error.

import os

directory = "example_directory"

if not os.path.exists(directory):
    os.mkdir(directory)

You can also use the os.path.isdir() to check if the path provided is a directory or not, and then create it if it does not exist.

import os

directory = "example_directory"

if not os.path.isdir(directory):
    os.makedirs(directory)

It's also important to note that os.makedirs() function also creates any intermediate directories in the path that do not exist. For example, if you wanted to create the directory example_directory/subdir1/subdir2, you could use the following code:

import os

directory = "example_directory/subdir1/subdir2"

if not os.path.exists(directory):
    os.makedirs(directory)

This would create the example_directory directory, as well as the subdir1 and subdir2 directories within it.

In conclusion, when you want to create a directory in Python, you can use the os.makedirs() function. It allows you to create a directory if it doesn't already exist, and also create any intermediate directories in the path if they don't exist. The os.path.exists(), os.path.isdir() and os.mkdir() are also useful functions to check if a directory already exists before creating it.

One common use case for creating directories in Python is when working with file operations. For example, you may want to create a directory to store files that are downloaded from a website, or to organize files that are generated by your program. In such cases, it's important to first check if the directory already exists, and only create it if it doesn't.

Another important aspect to consider is the permissions of the directory being created. By default, the directories created using os.makedirs() or os.mkdir() will have the permissions of the current user. However, you can also specify custom permissions using the mode argument. The mode should be an integer value, which can be created using the os.chmod() function or the stat module.

import os

directory = "example_directory"
mode = 0o755 

if not os.path.exists(directory):
    os.makedirs(directory, mode)

It's also worth noting that the os.makedirs() function raises a FileExistsError if the directory already exists and it's called with the exist_ok parameter set to False (default). If you want to ignore the error, you can set this parameter to True.

import os

directory = "example_directory"

try:
    os.makedirs(directory, exist_ok=True)
except FileExistsError:
    pass

In addition, you can also use the shutil library, which provides a higher level interface for file and directory operations, including creating directories. The shutil.mkdir() function is equivalent to os.mkdir() and the shutil.makedirs() is equivalent to os.makedirs().

import shutil

directory = "example_directory"

if not os.path.exists(directory):
    shutil.makedirs(directory)

In conclusion, creating directories in Python is a common task when working with file operations. The os module provides several functions such as os.makedirs(), os.mkdir() to create directories, and os.path.exists(), os.path.isdir() to check if a directory already exists. The shutil library also provides higher-level interfaces for file and directory operations and it's also a good alternative. You should also consider the permissions of the created directories and handle the error if the directory already exists.

Popular questions

1. What is the function in the os module used to create a directory in Python?

• The function used to create a directory in Python is os.makedirs().

2. How can you check if a directory already exists before creating it in Python?

• You can use the os.path.exists() function to check if a directory already exists before creating it.

3. What does the os.makedirs() function do when called with a directory path that already exists?

• The os.makedirs() function raises a FileExistsError if the directory already exists and it's called with the exist_ok parameter set to False (default).

4. How can you specify custom permissions when creating a directory using the os.makedirs() function?

• You can specify custom permissions when creating a directory by passing the mode argument to the os.makedirs() function. The mode argument should be an integer value representing the permissions.

5. Is there any other library or module in python that can be used to create directories?

• Yes, the shutil library provides higher level interface for file and directory operations, including creating directories using the shutil.makedirs() function.

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