List All Txt Files in a Directory in Python

File handling is a crucial skill in Python, and knowing how to List All Txt Files in a Directory in Python allows you to interact with and manipulate files efficiently. Whether you’re processing large datasets, automating tasks, or organizing content, listing .txt files in a directory simplifies these processes. It is especially useful for data processing, report generation, and managing logs.

Prerequisites

To follow along, you should have a basic understanding of Python syntax and concepts. Familiarity with file systems and directories will also help, as it provides the foundation for managing files and navigating through directories in Python.

Python Program to List All Txt Files in a Directory Using glob

# Python Program to List All Txt Files in a Directory Using glob


#importing glob and os
import glob, os


#set the current working directory as user directory
os.chdir("user")

for file in glob.glob("*.txt"):
    print(file)

Output:

test1.txt
test2.txt
test3.txt

Python Program to List All Txt Files in a Directory Using OS

# Python Program to List All Txt Files in a Directory Using OS

# importing os
import os


# for loop to check the extension using endswith()
for file in os.listdir("Documents"):
    if file.endswith(".txt"):
        print(file)

Output:

a.txt
b.txt
c.txt

Python Program to List All Txt Files in a Directory Using OS.walk

# Python Program to List All Txt Files in a Directory Using OS.walk

# importing os module
import os

for root, dirs, files in os.walk("user"):
    for file in files:
        if file.endswith(".txt"):
            print(file)

Output:

file1.txt
file2.txt
file3.txt

Using the pathlib Module

Description:

The pathlib module is a modern, object-oriented way to work with file system paths in Python. Introduced in Python 3.4, it provides an intuitive interface for handling paths, making code cleaner and more readable. It supports both local file systems and remote paths (when combined with other modules). With pathlib, you can easily perform file operations like listing, creating, or deleting files and directories.

Code Example:

from pathlib import Path

# Specify the directory
directory = Path('/path/to/directory')

# List all .txt files in the directory
txt_files = list(directory.glob('*.txt'))

# Print the list of .txt files
print(txt_files)

Explanation:

• Path object: Creates a path object that represents the directory.
• glob() method: The glob() method is used to match filenames using wildcard patterns. Here, *.txt is used to list all .txt files in the directory.
• list(): Since glob() returns a generator, it is wrapped with list() to convert the results into a list.

Advantages of pathlib:

1. Object-Oriented Interface: pathlib is built around the concept of path objects, making it more intuitive to work with file system paths compared to traditional string-based methods (like os or glob).
2. Cross-Platform Compatibility: It works seamlessly across different operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS), handling path differences (e.g., backslashes vs. forward slashes) automatically.
3. Cleaner and Readable Code: With methods like glob(), resolve(), and exists(), pathlib allows for more concise and readable code.
4. Better Handling of Subdirectories: pathlib provides better integration with recursive search and directory traversal, making it easier to work with complex directory structures.

Overall, pathlib is a modern and powerful module that is recommended for file system path manipulation in Python.

Comparative Analysis

Method	Ease of Use	Performance	Flexibility	Recommended For
os.listdir()	Easy	Fast for small directories	Limited to current directory only	Simple file listing in a single directory.
glob.glob()	Easy	Fast for pattern matching	Limited to matching patterns, no recursion	File pattern matching in a single directory.
pathlib.glob()	Moderate	Similar to glob	Handles object-oriented file paths and subdirectories	Modern Pythonic approach, especially for complex directory structures.
os.walk()	Moderate to Hard	Slower for large directories	Handles subdirectories recursively	When you need to search through all subdirectories.

Recommendation:

• If you only need to list .txt files in a single directory, os.listdir() or glob.glob() are both efficient and easy to use.
• For more complex tasks involving subdirectories, os.walk() or pathlib.glob() are better suited. pathlib is more modern and Pythonic, making it ideal for future-proof code.

Best Practices

1. Efficient File Handling in Python:
   • Use pathlib for modern, object-oriented file operations.
   • For large directories, consider using os.walk() as it allows for recursive searching.
   • Always work with absolute file paths to avoid confusion, especially in a large codebase.
2. Error Handling and Edge Cases:
   • Hidden Files: Files starting with a dot (e.g., .hiddenfile.txt) may not show up depending on the method. Handle this by ensuring the method doesn’t miss hidden files when necessary.
   • Permission Issues: Check file permissions before attempting to list files. Use try-except blocks to catch permission errors and avoid crashes. try: txt_files = [f for f in os.listdir(directory) if f.endswith('.txt')] except PermissionError: print("Permission denied to access the directory.")
3. Handling Large Directories:
   • For very large directories, avoid loading all filenames into memory at once. Use generators or iterate over files incrementally (e.g., with os.walk()).
4. Handling Special Characters:
   • Ensure to handle filenames with special characters or spaces to avoid issues during listing or processing. from pathlib import Path for file in directory.glob('*.txt'): print(file.resolve()) # Handles special characters properly

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