How to Copy and ZIP Files with Python: A Beginner’s Guide

Learn how to copy `.txt` files from one directory to another and zip them using Python. This step-by-step guide is perfect for beginners!
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How to Copy and ZIP Files with Python: A Beginner’s Guide

Python makes it easier than ever to manipulate files, whether it's copying, moving, or zipping them. Are you a newcomer to Python looking to automate the process of copying .txt files and zipping them? If so, you're in the right place! In this guide, we will walk through a practical example to help you understand this process clearly.

The Problem

As a beginner, you may find yourself needing to copy specific files from one directory to another while also applying some logic to determine what gets copied. In this instance, you want to accomplish two main tasks:

Copy all .txt files from dir_A to dir_B if they share the same filename.

ZIP all the copied files for easier storage and transport.

The Solution

Let's break down the solution into manageable sections. We will cover the essential steps involved, including the necessary libraries, the copying process, and how to zip the files afterward.

Required Libraries

To achieve our goal, we will use the following built-in Python libraries:

os: For interacting with the operating system (e.g., to access file paths).

shutil: To copy files from one location to another.

zipfile: To create zip archives.

Make sure to import these libraries at the beginning of your script.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Setting Up the Directories

You’ll need to define the source and destination folders where your files are located. In this example, the source folder is src_folder, and the destination is dst_folder:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Copying the Files

Next, we will create a loop that checks if a file in the source directory has the same name as a file in the destination directory and ends with .txt. If it does, we'll copy the file accordingly.

Here is how the file copying can be implemented:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Zipping the Copied Files

Once the files are copied, it’s time to zip them. We will loop through each copied file and create a new zip file using the zipfile library. Here’s how this can be done:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

Once you've implemented this code, you should find that it works as expected, successfully copying all .txt files that have the same names from the source to the destination folder and then zipping each one. This method is straightforward and effective for beginners learning file manipulation with Python.

By mastering these basic file operations, you'll be well on your way to automating workflows and streamlining your projects. Happy coding!