🔒 Learning how to have python open files from the same folder

[grim sonnet]

@north gust

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[north gust]

https://paste.pythondiscord.com/7UXA

In my project I want python to look for my sevenletterwords.txt file by looking in the same directory. I had an issue with my visual studio code debugger and someone helped me set python to look for an absolute path. But an absolute path will not work for everyone as not everyone can operate my computer.

I want my python program to recognize the sevenletterwords.txt file and access its contents.

[tired cobalt]

u want it to open like a window?

[winged lion]

a clean way is through pathlib

from pathlib import Path

folder = Path(__file__).parent
with open(folder / 'text_in_same_folder.txt') as f:
    content = f.read()

[tired cobalt]

cant it be if you in same directory u can do `with open("name.txt")

[winged lion]

no, that's relative to the cwd, not the script itself

[north gust]

forgive my rookieness, cwd?

[winged lion]

current working directory

[tired cobalt]

xddd

[winged lion]

e.g. if you open a terminal in windows, this part

PS C:\Users\User> py ./my_folder/script.py
   ^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[north gust]

so Path is a function of path library and you use the file method of it to find the file. and than .parent what is that part

[winged lion]

__file__ is a special str variable that contains the path to the current script
Path is a nice class in pathlib for path operations
Path.parent finds the immediate parent of a Path, in the case of Path(__file__), that'd be the parent of the script, a.k.a. the folder that the script is in

and then Path() / 'something' 'joins' the paths together basically, so

p = Path('directory')
q = p / 'test.txt'
````q` is now `directory/test.txt`

[tired cobalt]

yes

but why again mine doesnt work

if u dont specify path or folder doesnt it take file from that folder u in?

like with open("name.txt","r")

[north gust]

https://github.com/strikeouts27/python_hacking_game

Okay so I need to make the changes and than I need to test if it works on someone elses computer. If working correctly the user will be able to run the python program on their computer because python will be able to see the program on its own.

[winged lion]

again no, it's relative to the cwd
example:

PS C:\Users\User> py ./my_folder/script.py
```then you have
```py
# script.py
with open('test.txt') as f:
    ...
```it'll try to open `C:\Users\User\test.txt`

[tired cobalt]

ohhh

okay

[winged lion]

pretty much
well you can just try to call the script from a different cwd and see if it still works

[north gust]

# this function will gather in the game words from the sevenletterwords.txt file and be returned in this function.
def get_word_list():
    with open(
        r"C:\Users\Andrew\Desktop\Main_Desktop_Folder\programming\python_projects\python_hacking_game\sevenletterwords.txt",
        "r",
    ) as file:
        word_list = [line.strip().upper() for line in file.readlines()]
        random.shuffle(word_list)
        # test print(full_list_of_words)
    return word_list


from pathlib import Path

folder = Path(__file__).parent
with open(folder / 'text_in_same_folder.txt') as f:
    content = f.read()

above is the get_word_list function.

I have your code just below it for the time being.

So once it is read I have some other functionality where the word_list is cleaned up and returned.

[winged lion]

so replace the long absolute path with the pathlib stuff
and you should be fine and dandy

[north gust]

okay so just switch out the top half gotcha

# this function will gather in the game words from the sevenletterwords.txt file and be returned in this function.
def get_word_list():
    with open(
        folder = Path(__file__).parent
        with open(folder / 'text_in_same_folder.txt') as f:
        content = f.read()
        
        # r"C:\Users\Andrew\Desktop\Main_Desktop_Folder\programming\python_projects\python_hacking_game\sevenletterwords.txt",
        # "r",
    ) as file:
        word_list = [line.strip().upper() for line in file.readlines()]
        random.shuffle(word_list)
        # test print(full_list_of_words)
    return word_list

just coming into some undefined issues

folder is not being recognized

yellow squiggly lines

[winged lion]

not like that

1. you need to import Path from pathlib
2. the code I showed you was an example, you should not copy it as it won't work, instead adapt it to your situation

[north gust]

okay no problem I can adjust it (i feel dumb)

[tired cobalt]

xd coding is hard

[north gust]

am i on the right track?

from pathlib import Path
def get_word_list():
    folder = Path(__file__).parent 
    with open(folder / 'sevenletterwords.txt') as file:
        content = file.read()
        word_list = [line.strip().upper() for line in file.readlines()]
        random.shuffle(word_list)
    
        # r"C:\Users\Andrew\Desktop\Main_Desktop_Folder\programming\python_projects\python_hacking_game\sevenletterwords.txt",
        # "r",

    return word_list

[winged lion]

sure
content = file.read() this part's extraneous though

[north gust]

!solved

[grim sonnet]

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