Python get project directory

Python get project directory

Last updated: May 11, 2023
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# Table of Contents

# Get the path of the Root Project directory using Python

To get the path of the root project directory:

1. Use the os.path.abspath() method to get a normalized absolute path to the current file.
2. Use the os.path.dirname() method to get the directory name of the path.

For example, suppose we have the following project structure.

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my-project/ └── main.py └── another.py └── example.txt 

You can add the following code to main.py to get the path to the root project directory.

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import os # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python/main.py print(__file__) ROOT_DIR = os.path.dirname( os.path.abspath(__file__) ) # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) 

The __file__ variable is set to the module’s path.

We used the os.path.abspath() to get a normalized absolute version of the path.

The last step is to pass the absolute path to the os.path.dirname method.

The method returns the directory name of the supplied path.

Since our main.py file is located in the root directory of the project, the ROOT_DIR variable stores the path to the project’s root directory.

If your file is located one directory deep, you can call os.path.dirname() two times.

For example, suppose you have the following folder structure.

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my-project/ src/ └── constants.py 

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import os ROOT_DIR = os.path.dirname( os.path.dirname( os.path.abspath(__file__) ) ) # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) 

Notice that we called the os.path.dirname() method twice to get the root project directory, because the constants file is located in a nested directory.

# Getting a path to a file located in the project’s root directory

The same approach can be used to get the path to a file that’s located in the project’s root directory.

Suppose we have the following folder structure and we want to get the path to the example.txt file.

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my-project/ └── main.py └── another.py └── example.txt 

You have to pass the ROOT_DIR variable and the example.txt string to the os.path.join() method to combine the two paths.

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import os ROOT_DIR = os.path.dirname( os.path.abspath(__file__) ) # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) PATH_TO_FILE_IN_ROOT_DIR = os.path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'example.txt') # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python/example.txt print(PATH_TO_FILE_IN_ROOT_DIR) 

The os.path.join method takes a path and one or more path segments and joins them intelligently.

The method returns the concatenation of the supplied path and path segments.

# Importing the ROOT_DIR variable in another file

You can store your ROOT_DIR variable in a file from which you import your constants and import it into other files.

Suppose we have the following folder structure.

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my-project/ └── main.py └── another.py └── example.txt 

This is the code for the main.py file where the ROOT_DIR variable is defined.

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import os ROOT_DIR = os.path.dirname( os.path.abspath(__file__) ) # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) PATH_TO_FILE_IN_ROOT_DIR = os.path.join(ROOT_DIR, 'example.txt') # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python/example.txt print(PATH_TO_FILE_IN_ROOT_DIR) 

Here is how you can import the ROOT_DIR and PATH_TO_FILE_IN_ROOT_DIR variables into a different file.

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from main import ROOT_DIR, PATH_TO_FILE_IN_ROOT_DIR # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python/example.txt print(PATH_TO_FILE_IN_ROOT_DIR) 

The another.py module is located in the same directory as the main.py file that defines the ROOT_DIR variable.

# Get the path of the Root Project directory using pathlib.Path

You can also use the Path class from the pathlib module to get the path to the root project directory.

Suppose we have the following folder structure.

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my-project/ └── main.py └── src/ └── constants.py 

Here is the code for constants.py .

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from pathlib import Path def get_project_root_dir(): return Path(__file__).absolute().parent.parent 

The module uses the pathlib.Path() class to get the absolute path to the current module and uses the parent attribute to get the logical parent of the path.

Now you can import and use the get_project_root_dir function into your main.py file.

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from src.constants import get_project_root_dir ROOT_DIR = get_project_root_dir() # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) 

Here is an example that better illustrates how the parent attribute works.

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from pathlib import Path abs_path = Path(__file__).absolute() # /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python/main.py print(abs_path) print(abs_path.parent) # 👉️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(abs_path.parent.parent) # 👉️ /home/borislav/Desktop print(abs_path.parent.parent.parent) # 👉️ /home/borislav 

You can access the parent attribute multiple times to get the logical parent of each path.

Accessing the attribute once removes the filename.

The second time you access the attribute, the folder that contains the file is removed and so on.

# Dynamically getting the root project folder from any directory

This approach can be made more flexible by using a generator expression that looks for the root directory by name.

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from pathlib import Path current_dir = Path(__file__) PROJECT_NAME = 'bobbyhadz_python' ROOT_DIR = next( p for p in current_dir.parents if p.parts[-1] == PROJECT_NAME ) # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) 

Notice that you have to specify the name of your project.

In my case, the project is named bobbyhadz-python .

The generator expression iterates over the parent directories and checks if the last part of each parent directory is equal to the project name.

If the condition is met, then we are in the root directory of the project.

# Using the os.curdir constant to get the root project directory

If you run your Python script from the root project folder, you can also:

1. Use the os.curdir attribute to get a string that is used to refer to the current directory.
2. Pass the string to the os.path.abspath() method.

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import os ROOT_DIR = os.path.abspath(os.curdir) # 👇️ /home/borislav/Desktop/bobbyhadz_python print(ROOT_DIR) 

The code sample assumes that your main.py module is placed in the root directory of your project and you run the file from the same directory.

# Additional Resources

You can learn more about the related topics by checking out the following tutorials:

I wrote a book in which I share everything I know about how to become a better, more efficient programmer.

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How to Get the Current Directory in Python

Programming in Python and need to get the present working (current) directory? Use these commands to find it.

Readers like you help support MUO. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.

One of the most important aspects of programming you must understand is your project directory. It gives you a better grasp of your files and lets you relate with them more easily—especially when you need to carry out actions like file linking, module import, directory switching, and much more.

Whether for urgent reasons or future needs, it’s a necessary aspect when executing Python projects as well.

So let’s highlight the techniques you can use to get your current Python directory, as well as some other possible tweaks you can apply to it generally.

Dealing with Python Directories

The methods that deal with the Python working directory are in its inbuilt os module and are the same for all OSes. Thus, it means you need to import that module before you can start executing commands that deal with your working directory.

However, just like any other Python line or block of code, these commands are written in a Python shell. Or a Python file if you’re using other code editors. And if you’re working from the command line, you need to enter the Python shell by typing python. That’s because the os methods are Python packages, and you can’t execute them directly from the CMD.

Get the Current Python Working Directory

You can get your current Python directory by using either the os.path or os.getcwd method. However, while os.getcwd, which is the more common method, only checks your current working directory, the os.path method can check both the current directory as well as the base path of your working directory.

To get the base path of your Python working directory with the os.path method, write the following within your Python file or shell:

import os
BASE_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
print(BASE_DIR)

However, to use the above method to check the active working directory, type the following:

import os
CURR_DIR = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
print(CURR_DIR)

Getting the current Python directory with the os.getcwd method is quite straight forward; to use it, run the following lines in your shell or Python file:

import os
CURR_DIR = os.getcwd()
print(CURR_DIR)

Switching Your Current Python Directory

You can change the current Python directory to inherit another file path if you like. To do that, you only need to define the file path for the new working directory as done in the code snippet below. Ensure that you replace the path with the one that applies to you:

import os
chd = os.chdir('C:/Users/Omisola Idowu/Desktop/my_project')
CURR_DIR = os.getcwd()
print(CURR_DIR)

The code above changes the current working directory to the one in parenthesis. Thus, the output of the snippet above returns the full path of the new directory you entered in the os.chdir() method.

Other Tweaks for Dealing with Python Directories

Beyond getting the current directory, there are other things you can do to deal with Python working paths. You can list the files and sub-folders within a Python working directory, as well as rename, remove, or make a Python directory by writing either of the following lines in your Python shell.

However, ensure that you import the necessary modules by typing import os in your shell before running your commands.

1. os.listdir(): list out all the files and sub-folders within the current Python working directory
2. os.mkdir(‘new_dir’): make a new Python directory within the current project directory
3. os.rename(‘old_name’, ‘new_name’): rename any named file or folder within the current directory by supplying its original name, followed by its new name
4. os.rmdir(‘folder_name’): remove empty folder within the current working path
5. os.remove(‘file_name’): delete a file from the Python directory
6. shutil.rmtree(‘folder_name’): delete a non-empty folder from the working directory, to use this command, import the shutil library by typing import shutil in your working file or Python shell.

Organize your Project Directory Smartly

No matter the project you want to start, it’s a good practice to create a folder that contains your entire project. And the arrangement of your folder and files can influence the output of your Python project. Thus, there must be a well-structured directory to prevent your working tree from getting messed up.

However, the directory methods listed here are some of the few things you come across as you go further into executing Python projects—especially when you need to link one or more folders or files together.

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