How can I change directory with Python pathlib
PythonPathlibPython Problem Overview
What is the intended way to change directory using the Python pathlib
(Documentation) functionality?
Lets assume I create a Path
object as follows:
from pathlib import Path
path = Path('/etc')
Currently I just know the following, but that seems to undermine the idea of pathlib
.
import os
os.chdir(str(path))
Python Solutions
Solution 1 - Python
Based on the comments I realized that pathlib
does not help changing directories and that directory changes should be avoided if possible.
Since I needed to call bash scripts outside of Python from the correct directory, I opted for using a context manager for a cleaner way of changing directories similar to this answer:
import os
import contextlib
from pathlib import Path
@contextlib.contextmanager
def working_directory(path):
"""Changes working directory and returns to previous on exit."""
prev_cwd = Path.cwd()
os.chdir(path)
try:
yield
finally:
os.chdir(prev_cwd)
A good alternative is to use the cwd
parameter of the subprocess.Popen
class as in this answer.
If you are using Python <3.6 and path
is actually a pathlib.Path
, you need str(path)
in the chdir
statements.
Solution 2 - Python
In the Python 3.6 or above, os.chdir()
can deal with Path
object directly. In fact, the Path
object can replace most str
paths in standard libraries.
> os.chdir(path) Change the current working directory to path. > > This function can support specifying a file descriptor. The descriptor > must refer to an opened directory, not an open file. > > New in version 3.3: Added support for specifying path as a file > descriptor on some platforms. > > Changed in version 3.6: Accepts a path-like object.
import os
from pathlib import Path
path = Path('/etc')
os.chdir(path)
This may help in the future projects which do not have to be compatible with 3.5 or below.
Solution 3 - Python
If you don't mind using a third-party library:
$ pip install path
then:
from path import Path
with Path("somewhere"):
# current working directory is now `somewhere`
...
# current working directory is restored to its original value.
or if you want to do it without the context manager:
Path("somewhere").cd()
# current working directory is now changed to `somewhere`