Introduction to shutil - Shell-Bash

shutil is a powerful Python module that provides a high-level interface for efficiently handling files and directories. It offers a wide range of functions to perform various file operations, such as copying, moving, renaming, and deleting files and directories. The module is part of the Python standard library, so no external installation is required.

With shutil, programmers can automate file management tasks, such as creating backups, syncing directories, or manipulating file structures. It is especially useful for handling large-scale projects, file organization, or handling file-related operations within software applications.

The main features provided by shutil include:

1. Copying files and directories

shutil allows you to copy files or directories, both recursively and non-recursively. It provides functions like copy(), copy2(), and copytree() to achieve this. Use these functions to easily duplicate files or create backups.

import shutil

# Copy a file
shutil.copy('source_file.txt', 'destination_file.txt')

# Copy a directory recursively
shutil.copytree('source_directory', 'destination_directory')

2. Moving and renaming files

shutil enables you to move files or directories, either within the same file system or across different file systems. It provides move() function to accomplish this. Additionally, it allows you to rename files or directories using move() or copy() functions.

import shutil

# Move a file
shutil.move('source_file.txt', 'destination_file.txt')

# Move a directory
shutil.move('source_directory', 'destination_directory')

# Rename a file
shutil.move('old_name.txt', 'new_name.txt')

3. Deleting files and directories

shutil provides functions to delete files or directories. Both single files or directories can be removed using functions like remove() and rmtree() respectively. Use caution while deleting files as they cannot be recovered.

import shutil

# Delete a file
shutil.remove('file_to_delete.txt')

# Delete a directory recursively
shutil.rmtree('directory_to_delete')

4. Archiving and compressing files

With shutil, you can create archives and compressed files such as zip, tar, or gztar files. It provides several functions like make_archive(), unpack_archive(), and get_archive_formats() to handle archiving and compression tasks efficiently.

import shutil

# Create a zip archive
shutil.make_archive('archive', 'zip', 'source_directory')

# Extract contents from a zip archive
shutil.unpack_archive('archive.zip', 'destination_directory', 'zip')

# Get available archive formats
formats = shutil.get_archive_formats()
for format in formats:
    print(format)

5. Other utility functions

Apart from the above main features, shutil offers various utility functions to perform additional tasks, such as obtaining file and directory information, setting file permissions, and creating symbolic links. Some of the commonly used functions include disk_usage(), chown(), and symlink().

import shutil

# Get disk usage of a directory
total, used, free = shutil.disk_usage('/')

# Change file ownership
shutil.chown('file.txt', user='username', group='groupname')

# Create a symbolic link
shutil.symlink('target_file.txt', 'symbolic_link.txt')

Note: The above are just a few examples of what can be achieved with shutil. It offers many more functions and features to handle various file manipulation tasks.

shutil provides a convenient and efficient way to handle file operations in Python. Its simplicity and comprehensiveness make it an essential tool for any programmer dealing with file management tasks. Whether you need to copy files, move directories, or create archives, shutil has got you covered!

For more information, refer to the shutil documentation.