Replace method in Python and \

Question

I am using replace string method in Python and I am finding something that I cannot understand.

Changing the way that a folder is written in python to windows notation, I find that replace method will change this double / for a double \ instead of just one \ as intended.

folder_im_wdows = folder_im_wdows.replace("//","\\")

But the most impressive, is that when I try a workaround doing the next

folder_im_wdows = folder_im_wdows.replace("//",chr(92))

Python does the same...

The original variable is: //xxxxx//xxxx//xxxx//xxxx//xxx//xxxxx And I want to get -> \xxx\x\x\x

What's happening with replace method?

It is working; you are confusing the string representation with the string itself. Try print(folder_im_wdows) to view the contents. — chepner
– chepner, Commented Nov 10, 2017 at 14:30
@Luis B. Salgado Benitez : please accept an answer if your issues are solved. — Nepho
– Nepho, Commented Nov 17, 2017 at 14:55

Nepho · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-10 14:32:47Z

3

This is because python's CLI escapes backslashes.

Example from python's CLI:

>>> str = "abc//def//fgh"
>>> str.replace("//", "\\")
'abc\\def\\fgh'
>>> print(str.replace("//", "\\"))
abc\def\fgh
>>>

Also, you should need to use \\ and not only \, because you need to escape the backslash character, well, I do.

edited Nov 10, 2017 at 14:32

answered Nov 10, 2017 at 14:32

Nepho

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4 Comments

chepner Over a year ago

It's not the CLI; it's the implementation of str.__repr__.

Nepho Over a year ago

@chepner: I don't understand. str.__repr__() -> "'abc\\\\def\\\\fgh'", print(str) -> abc\def\fgh

chepner Over a year ago

Because the CLI is then calling str.__repr__ on the output of the explicit call to str.__repr__.

Nepho Over a year ago

Oh, I see. Thanks for the details

jonatan · Accepted Answer · 2017-11-10 15:13:08Z

0

Use os.path for working with path names:

import os

os.path.normpath('C:/Users/Bob/My Documents')

os.path.abspath would do the job too (it uses os.path.normpath)

Note: requires host to be windows, if that's not the case you can use ntpath.normpath directly

https://docs.python.org/library/os.path.html#os.path.normpath

Avoid regexes, replaces and all that. You're going to get it wrong in some subtle way.

edited Nov 10, 2017 at 15:13

answered Nov 10, 2017 at 15:05

jonatan

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