How to create a folder for each item in a directory?

Question

I'm having trouble making folders that I create go where I want them to go. For each file in a given folder, I want to create a new folder, then put that file in the new folder. My problem is that the new folders I create are being put in the parent directory, not the one I want. My example:

def createFolder():
    dir_name = 'C:\\Users\\Adrian\\Entertainment\\Coding\\Test Folder'
    files = os.listdir(dir_name)
    for i in files:
        os.mkdir(i)

Let's say that my files in that directory are Hello.txt and Goodbye.txt. When I run the script, it makes new folders for these files, but puts them one level above, in 'C:\Users\Adrian\Entertainment\Coding.

How do I make it so they are created in the same place as the files, AKA 'C:\Users\Adrian\Entertainment\Coding\Test Folder'?

Use normal slashes in paths even for Windows (the same way the Unix souls do). Python accepts them happily. But definitely use the os.path.join() and the related functions. — pepr
– pepr, Commented Jul 11, 2012 at 6:41

Rakesh · Accepted Answer · 2012-07-11 04:33:46Z

3

import os, shutil

for i in files:
  os.mkdir(os.path.join(dir_name , i.split(".")[0]))
  shutil.copy(os.path.join(dir_name , i), os.path.join(dir_name , i.split(".")[0]))

answered Jul 11, 2012 at 4:33

Rakesh

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Comments

Ned Batchelder · Accepted Answer · 2012-07-11 03:14:27Z

2

os.listdir(dir_name) lists only the names of the files, not full paths to the files. To get a path to the file, join it with dir_name:

os.mkdir(os.path.join(dir_name, i))

answered Jul 11, 2012 at 3:14

Ned Batchelder

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2 Comments

Adrian Andronic Over a year ago

So I changed the os.mkdir line to what you suggested, but now I'm getting an error that I cannot create a file when that file already exists. They're not the same though, because one's a folder and the other is a text file, right? Any ideas? Thanks.

Jeff Tratner Over a year ago

@AdrianAndronic directory names and filenames can't overlap. (just fire up the windows file browser and try to create a directory with the same name as a file or vice-versa...Windows shouldn't let you do it).

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