How do I copy a file in Python?

General Discussions
1

How do I copy a file in Python?

2

shutil is a Python module that provides various methods for file operations. One of these methods is copyfile, which you can use to copy the contents of one file to another:

import shutil

shutil.copyfile(src, dst)

Alternatively, you can use copy to copy a file, and if dst is a folder, you can use copy2 to preserve the timestamp:

shutil.copy(src, dst)  # dst can be a folder; use shutil.copy2() to preserve timestamp

When using copy, both src and dst should be the full filename including the path. The destination must be writable, or else an IOError will be raised. If the destination file already exists, it will be replaced. However, copy cannot copy special files such as character or block devices and pipes.

If you are working with path names given as strings, copy is the preferable method over copyfile. Additionally, shutil.copy2() is another method similar to copy but preserves more metadata, such as timestamps.

3

To copy files using the subprocess module in Python, you can use the subprocess.call function. The signature of subprocess.call is as follows:

subprocess.call(args, *, stdin=None, stdout=None, stderr=None, shell=False)

Here’s an example of how to use subprocess.call to copy a file in Linux/Unix and Windows:

import subprocess

# In Linux/Unix
status = subprocess.call('cp source.txt destination.txt', shell=True)

# In Windows
status = subprocess.call('copy source.txt destination.txt', shell=True)

Similarly, you can use subprocess.check_output to capture the output of the command. Its signature is:

subprocess.check_output(args, *, stdin=None, stderr=None, shell=False, universal_newlines=False)

Here’s an example of how to use subprocess.check_output to copy a file in Linux/Unix and Windows:

import subprocess

# In Linux/Unix
status = subprocess.check_output('cp source.txt destination.txt', shell=True)

# In Windows
status = subprocess.check_output('copy source.txt destination.txt', shell=True)

Please note that setting shell=True can be a security risk, especially when dealing with user input, as it allows the execution of arbitrary commands. Use it with caution.

4

To copy files using the os module in Python, you can use os.popen or os.system functions.

The signature of os.popen is:

os.popen(cmd[, mode[, bufsize]])

Here’s an example of how to use os.popen to copy a file in Unix/Linux and Windows:

import os

# In Unix/Linux
os.popen('cp source.txt destination.txt')

# In Windows
os.popen('copy source.txt destination.txt')

Similarly, you can use os.system to execute a command:

# In Linux/Unix
os.system('cp source.txt destination.txt')

# In Windows
os.system('copy source.txt destination.txt')

However, note that using os.popen or os.system to copy files is not the recommended approach as it might not handle errors or permissions correctly. It’s better to use shutil.copy or subprocess.call for more reliable file copying operations.