How to Print the Duplicate File and the Real File in Python

Learn how to effectively find and print both the `duplicate` and the `original file` in Python by modifying your existing code for better output and clarity.
---

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to print the duplicate file and the real file in python

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Print the Duplicate File and the Real File in Python

Finding duplicate files can be a common problem, especially when dealing with various files in a directory. If you're using Python to check for duplicates, you might encounter a situation where you're only getting the name of the duplicate files. However, you often want to know not only which files are duplicates but also the original files they were copied from.

In this guide, we will walk through a simple solution to modify your existing code so that you can display both the duplicate and the corresponding original files. Let's dive right into the details!

Understanding the Problem

Initially, you may have a piece of code that successfully identifies duplicate files based on specific criteria (like invoice numbers in your XML files). However, your current implementation only prints out the name of the duplicate files, and it doesn't show the original file they were derived from.

Here is a brief recap of your output:

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

The goal is to enhance this output to include the name of the original file. For example:

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

Solution Overview

To achieve this, we need to slightly adjust your code. The idea is to store the original file path in a dictionary when we find an invoice number. When a duplicate is found, we will look up this dictionary to retrieve and print the original file.

Step-by-Step Implementation

Track Original Files: Use a dictionary to store the invoice numbers as keys and the corresponding file names as values.

Modify the Print Statement: Adjust the print statement to include both the duplicate file name and its corresponding original file.

Here is how you can implement these changes in your existing code:

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

Key Changes Explained

Dictionary Structure: The structure of your invoice_number dictionary remains the same. It maps invoice numbers to their respective original file paths.

Updated Print Statement: The critical addition in the if clause is:

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

Here, files[i] is the duplicate file, and invoice_number[invoice] retrieves the original file name.

Conclusion

With this adjustment, your script will now effectively print both the duplicate files and their corresponding originals. This enhancement will provide clarity and help you better track your files, ensuring you can manage duplicates more efficiently!

Ready to run the updated code? Give it a try and see how it changes your output! Happy coding!