How to List All Files of a Directory in Python

Python Directory

Introduction

In Python, you may often come across situations where you need to list all the files present in a directory. This can be useful when you want to process all the files within a directory or perform some specific operations on each file. In this article, we will explore various methods to list all the files of a directory using Python.

Method 1: Using os module

The easiest way to list all files of a directory in Python is by using the os module, which provides a range of functions for interacting with the operating system. Specifically, we can use the os.listdir() function to get a list of all files and directories in a given path.


import os

# Specify the directory path
directory = '/path/to/directory'

# Get the list of all files and directories in the specified directory
file_list = os.listdir(directory)

# Print the file names
for file in file_list:
    print(file)

The os.listdir() function returns a list of all files and directories present in the specified directory. We can then iterate over this list and print each file name.

Example:

Let's say we have a directory called my_directory with the following files:

  • file1.txt
  • file2.txt
  • file3.py
  • sub_directory

Using the above code, we can list all the files and directories of my_directory as follows:


import os

directory = 'my_directory'
file_list = os.listdir(directory)

for file in file_list:
    print(file)

The output will be:


file1.txt
file2.txt
file3.py
sub_directory

Method 2: Using glob module

Another way to list all files of a directory in Python is by using the glob module. The glob module provides a powerful function called glob.glob() that can list all files matching a specific pattern within a directory.


import glob

# Specify the directory path
directory = '/path/to/directory'

# Get the list of all files in the specified directory
file_list = glob.glob(directory + '/*')

# Print the file names
for file in file_list:
    print(file)

The glob.glob() function returns a list of file paths (including the directory path) that match the specified pattern. In the above code, we use the '/*' pattern to match all files within the directory.

Example:

Let's consider a directory called my_directory which contains the following files:

  • file1.txt
  • file2.txt
  • file3.py
  • sub_directory

With the code provided above, we can list all the files within my_directory as follows:


import glob

directory = 'my_directory'
file_list = glob.glob(directory + '/*')

for file in file_list:
    print(file)

The output will be:


my_directory/file1.txt
my_directory/file2.txt
my_directory/file3.py
my_directory/sub_directory

Method 3: Using pathlib module (Python 3.4+)

Starting from Python 3.4, the pathlib module was introduced as a high-level path library, providing a more object-oriented approach to file system paths. With the pathlib module, we can also list all files of a directory.


import pathlib

# Specify the directory path
directory = '/path/to/directory'

# Create a Path object for the directory
path = pathlib.Path(directory)

# Get the list of all files in the specified directory
file_list = [file.name for file in path.iterdir() if file.is_file()]

# Print the file names
for file in file_list:
    print(file)

In the above code, we create a Path object by passing the directory path to the pathlib.Path() constructor. Then, we use the iterdir() method to iterate over all directories and files within the specified directory. Finally, we use the is_file() method to filter out only the files and not the directories.

Example:

Let's assume we have a directory called my_directory with the following files:

  • file1.txt
  • file2.txt
  • file3.py
  • sub_directory

Using the provided code, we can list all the files of my_directory as follows:


import pathlib

directory = 'my_directory'
path = pathlib.Path(directory)
file_list = [file.name for file in path.iterdir() if file.is_file()]

for file in file_list:
    print(file)

The output will be:


file1.txt
file2.txt
file3.py

Conclusion

In this article, we explored various methods to list all files of a directory using Python. We learned how to accomplish this using the os module, the glob module, and the pathlib module. Now, you can easily obtain a list of all files in a directory and perform any required operations on them. Remember to choose the method that best suits your needs and the specific version of Python you are using.

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