Create directory recursively in Python

As a Python developer, I often come across situations where I need to create directories in a recursive manner. Whether it’s organizing files or setting up a directory structure, the ability to create directories programmatically can save a lot of time and effort. In this blog post, I’m thrilled to share with you how to create directories recursively in Python. We’ll explore different techniques and approaches to accomplish this task efficiently. So, let’s dive in and empower ourselves with the knowledge to streamline directory creation in Python!

The os module provides functions for interacting with the Operating System in Python. The os module is standard python utility module. Most Operating System based functionalities are abstracted out in this module and it is provided in a very portable way.

Note – In case of any error or exception, all the functions in the os module raise an OSError . Examples are – trying to create an invalid file name(or folder name), incorrect arguments to the functions, etc.,

Create a single directory in Python using os.mkdir() method

You can create a single directory in python using the os.mkdir() method.

Syntax

os.mkdir(path, mode = 0o777, *, dir_fd = None)

The path is the name of the folder either referring to the absolute or relate path depending on how you want it to work.

import os
# new folder/dir name
new_directory = "debugpointer"

# Parent Directory path
# In case of Windows, "D:/"
parent_directory = "/home/ubuntu/"

# Setting the path for folder creation
path = os.path.join(parent_directory, new_directory)

mode = 0o777

# Create the directory in the path
os.mkdir(path, mode)
print("Directory %s Created Successfully" % new_directory)

Output-

Directory debugpointer Created Successfully

Note – FileExistsError is raised when the file already exists in the path. It is advised to handle this error in cases where folder are created often(maybe in a python script that runs every time or the API which creates a folder for some reason, etc.,)

Create directories recursively using in Python using os.makedirs() method

The os.makedirs() method creates a directory recursively in a given path in Python. This means, you can create folders with-in folders (with-in folder and so on…) easily using the os.makedirs() method.

os.makedirs(path, mode = 0o777, *, dir_fd = None)

Suppose you want to create 3 folders one within another in the form – debugpointer => python => posts, you can easily achieve this using the os.makedirs() method. Python makes care of creating the recursive folders for you when you just specify the structure of your folders that you need.

import os
# new folder/dir name
new_directory = "debugpointer/python/posts"

# Parent Directory path
# In case of Windows, "D:/"
parent_directory = "/home/ubuntu/"

# Setting the path for folder creation
path = os.path.join(parent_directory, new_directory)

mode = 0o777

# Create the directory in the path
os.makedirs(path, mode)
print("Directory %s Created Successfully" % new_directory)

Output-

Directory debugpointer/python/posts Created Successfully

Note – FileExistsError is raised when the file already exists in the path. It is advised to handle this error in cases where folder are created often(maybe in a python script that runs every time or the API which creates a folder for some reason, etc.,)

In such cases, you can handle other OSError errors as follows and also use exist_ok = True so that the FileExistsError does not appear and it gets suppressed –

import os
# new folder/dir name
new_directory = "debugpointer/python/posts"

# Parent Directory path
# In case of Windows, "D:/"
parent_directory = "/home/ubuntu/"

# Setting the path for folder creation
path = os.path.join(parent_directory, new_directory)

# Handle the errors
try:
    # Create the directory in the path
    os.makedirs(path, exist_ok = True)
    print("Directory %s Created Successfully" % new_directory)
except OSError as error:
    print("Directory %s Creation Failed" % new_directory)

Output-

Directory debugpointer/python/posts Created Successfully

The other option is to check if a directory already exists or not, that would also help in validating existence of the directory path before creating the directory.

As you see in the above code examples, it’s pretty simple to create folders recursively in Python.

And there you have it, a comprehensive understanding of creating directories recursively in Python. We’ve explored various methods and techniques to achieve this task, providing you with the flexibility to adapt to different scenarios. The ability to programmatically create directories in a recursive manner is a valuable skill that can simplify file organization and directory management in your Python projects. I hope this knowledge empowers you to become a more efficient and productive Python developer. Happy coding and creating directories recursively!