File path handling in Python - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to join folder and filename into a full path using pathlib.

Python

from pathlib import Path
folder = Path('documents')
filename = 'file.txt'
full_path = folder[1]filename
print(full_path)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A+

B\

C/

D.

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '+' to join paths instead of '/'

Using string concatenation instead of pathlib methods

Using the '/' operator with Path objects joins paths correctly.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to get the file extension from a path using pathlib.

Python

from pathlib import Path
file_path = Path('archive.zip')
extension = file_path[1]
print(extension)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.suffix

B.ext

C.extension

D.name

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '.ext' which does not exist

Using '.name' which returns the filename

The '.suffix' property returns the file extension including the dot.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the code to check if a path is a directory using pathlib.

Python

from pathlib import Path
path = Path('/usr/bin')
if path[1]():
    print('It is a directory')

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A.is_file

B.is_dir

C.is_directory

D.exists

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '.is_directory()' which does not exist

Using '.exists()' which only checks if path exists

The correct method to check if a path is a directory is '.is_dir()'.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a dictionary with filenames as keys and their sizes as values.

Python

from pathlib import Path
files = [Path('a.txt'), Path('b.txt'), Path('c.txt')]
sizes = { [1]: file.stat().st_size for file in files if file[2]() }
print(sizes)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Afile.name

B.is_file

C.is_dir

Dfile.path

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '.is_dir()' instead of '.is_file()'

Using 'file.path' which is not a valid attribute

Use 'file.name' for the filename key and '.is_file()' to filter files.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a dictionary with uppercase filenames as keys, file sizes as values, filtering files larger than 1000 bytes.

Python

from pathlib import Path
files = [Path('x.log'), Path('y.log'), Path('z.log')]
result = { [1]: [2] for f in files if f.is_file() and f.stat().st_size [3] 1000 }
print(result)

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Af.name.upper()

Bf.stat().st_size

C>

D<=

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '<=' instead of '>' for filtering

Using 'f.name' without uppercasing

Use 'f.name.upper()' for uppercase keys, 'f.stat().st_size' for values, and '>' to filter sizes.

Practice

1. Which Python module is recommended for safe and easy file path handling?

easy

A. pathlib

B. os.path

C. sys

D. math

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the module for file paths

   The pathlib module provides an easy and modern way to handle file paths safely.

2. Step 2: Compare with other modules

   While os.path also handles paths, pathlib is recommended for its simplicity and object-oriented approach.

3. Final Answer:

   pathlib -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   File path handling = pathlib [OK]

Hint: Remember: pathlib is the modern way to handle paths [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing pathlib with os.path
• Using sys for paths
• Choosing unrelated modules like math

2. Which of the following is the correct way to join paths using pathlib in Python?

easy

A. Path('folder') + 'file.txt'

B. Path('folder') / 'file.txt'

C. Path('folder').join('file.txt')

D. Path('folder').append('file.txt')

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand pathlib path joining

   In pathlib, the slash operator / is overloaded to join paths safely.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   Path('folder') / 'file.txt' uses / correctly. Path('folder') + 'file.txt' uses + which is invalid. The .append() and .join() methods do not exist on Path objects.

3. Final Answer:

   Path('folder') / 'file.txt' -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Use slash (/) to join paths [OK]

Hint: Use / operator to join pathlib paths [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using + to join paths
• Calling non-existent join or append methods
• Forgetting to import pathlib

3. What will be the output of this code?

from pathlib import Path
p = Path('folder') / 'subfolder' / 'file.txt'
print(p.parts)

medium

A. ('folder/subfolder/file.txt',)

B. ['folder', 'subfolder', 'file.txt']

C. ['folder/subfolder/file.txt']

D. ('folder', 'subfolder', 'file.txt')

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Path.parts attribute

   The parts attribute returns a tuple of each part of the path as separate strings.

2. Step 2: Analyze the given path

   The path is 'folder/subfolder/file.txt', so parts will be ('folder', 'subfolder', 'file.txt').

3. Final Answer:

   ('folder', 'subfolder', 'file.txt') -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Path.parts returns tuple of path parts [OK]

Hint: Path.parts returns a tuple of path components [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting a list instead of tuple
• Getting full path as one string
• Confusing parts with name or stem

4. What is wrong with this code snippet?

from pathlib import Path
p = Path('folder') + 'file.txt'
print(p)

medium

A. Using + operator to join paths causes TypeError

B. Missing import statement for os module

C. Path object cannot be printed directly

D. The path string should use backslashes instead of forward slashes

Solution

1. Step 1: Check path joining method

   The code uses + operator to join a Path object and a string, which is not supported and raises a TypeError.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Import is correct, Path objects can be printed, and forward slashes are valid on most systems.

3. Final Answer:

   Using + operator to join paths causes TypeError -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use /, not +, to join pathlib paths [OK]

Hint: Never use + to join pathlib paths; use / instead [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using + operator for path joining
• Thinking Path can't be printed
• Confusing path separators

5. You want to check if a file named data.csv exists inside a folder reports before reading it. Which code correctly does this using pathlib?

hard

A. p = Path('reports') + 'data.csv'
if p.is_file():
print('File found')

B. p = 'reports/data.csv'
if os.path.exists(p):
print('File found')

C. p = Path('reports') / 'data.csv'
if p.exists():
print('File found')

D. p = Path('reports/data.csv')
if p.is_dir():
print('File found')

Solution

1. Step 1: Create path using pathlib and join correctly

   p = Path('reports') / 'data.csv' if p.exists(): print('File found') uses Path('reports') / 'data.csv' which correctly joins folder and file.

2. Step 2: Check if file exists

   p = Path('reports') / 'data.csv' if p.exists(): print('File found') uses p.exists() to check if the file exists before reading, which is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   p = Path('reports') / 'data.csv'\nif p.exists():\n print('File found') -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use pathlib with / and exists() to check files [OK]

Hint: Use Path(...) / filename and exists() to check files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using + to join paths
• Using os.path without import
• Checking is_dir() instead of exists() or is_file()