How to Compress a Folder in Python While Preserving Directory Structure

import os
import zipfile
from pathlib import Path

def compress_folder(source_dir: str, output_zip: str):
    """
    Compress a folder into a zip file, preserving the directory structure.
    
    Args:
        source_dir: Path to the source directory to compress
        output_zip: Path for the output zip file
    """
    source_path = Path(source_dir)
    
    with zipfile.ZipFile(output_zip, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zipf:
        for file_path in source_path.rglob('*'):
            if file_path.is_file():
                # Calculate relative path to preserve structure
                arcname = str(file_path.relative_to(source_path.parent))
                zipf.write(file_path, arcname)
    
    print(f"Compressed '{source_dir}' -> '{output_zip}'")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Example usage
    test_dir = "example_folder"
    os.makedirs(test_dir, exist_ok=True)
    
    # Create test files with subdirectories
    sub_dir = os.path.join(test_dir, "subdir")
    os.makedirs(sub_dir, exist_ok=True)
    
    with open(os.path.join(test_dir, "file1.txt"), "w") as f:
        f.write("Hello from file 1")
    with open(os.path.join(test_dir, "subdir", "file2.txt"), "w") as f:
        f.write("Hello from file 2")
    
    compress_folder(test_dir, "compressed_example.zip")
    
    # Cleanup
    import shutil
    shutil.rmtree(test_dir)
    os.remove("compressed_example.zip")