Files & data
Read and write files safely; parse JSON, CSV, and common text formats.
Convert File Data to a Dictionary in Python
This function scans a directory and converts each file's metadata (name, size, extension) into a structured dictionary for easy access.
from pathlib import Path
def convert_files_data(directory: str) -> dict:
data = {}
base = Path(directory)
if not base.exists():
return data
for file in base.iterdir():
if file.is_file():
data[file.name] = {
"size": file.stat().st_size,
"exten…How to Copy a File with shutil.copy2 in Python
Copy a file while preserving metadata like timestamps and permissions using Python's shutil.copy2 and pathlib.
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
source = Path("sample.txt")
destination = Path("sample_copy.txt")
source.write_text("Hello, PythonSkillset!")
if __name__ == "__main__":
shutil.copy2(source, destination)
copied = destination.read_text()
print(f"Copied content: {copied}")
print(f"Source exists:…How to List File Information in a Directory with Python
A helper that walks a directory and returns each file's name, size, and extension as a list of dictionaries.
from pathlib import Path
def get_files_data(directory: str) -> list[dict]:
"""Return basic info about all files in a directory."""
files = []
for path in Path(directory).iterdir():
if path.is_file():
files.append({
"name": path.name,
"size": path.stat()…How to List File Metadata in Python
This code walks a directory and returns a list of JSON-ready dicts with each file's name, size, and modification time.
from pathlib import Path
import json
def format_files_data(directory_path):
"""Return a list of JSON-serializable dicts with file metadata."""
base = Path(directory_path)
if not base.is_dir():
raise ValueError(f"Not a directory: {directory_path}")
files_data = []
for file_path in base.ite…How to check file data in Python
Check if a file exists and is a regular file, then return its name, size, line count, and first line.
def check_file_data(file_path):
from pathlib import Path
path = Path(file_path)
if not path.exists():
return f"File '{file_path}' does not exist."
if not path.is_file():
return f"'{file_path}' is not a regular file."
size = path.stat().st_size
lines = path.read_text(encodin…Browse by section
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Files & data — Python code examples
What you will find here
This page collects files & data snippets — short, copy-ready Python you can paste into our free online IDE and run without installing anything. Each sample includes a plain-English explanation and the full source code.
Samples vs tutorials and challenges
Samples are quick reference — one concept per page. For step-by-step teaching, use our Python tutorials. To test yourself, try quizzes or coding challenges. Clean up style with the Python formatter.