Adventures in Machine Learning

5 Ways to Check if a File is Empty in Python

How to Check if a File is Empty in Python

Python is a popular programming language used for a variety of tasks, including file handling. As a programmer, it is important to know how to check if a file is empty. This can be useful when dealing with large data sets or when creating new files. In this article, we will explore different methods to check if a file is empty in Python and how to handle different scenarios.

Using os.stat() method

One way to determine if a file is empty in Python is by using the os.stat() method. This method returns a named tuple containing information about the file, including the size attribute, which represents the size of the file in bytes. We can use this attribute to determine if the file is empty. Here’s an example:

import os
file_path = '/path/to/file.txt'
if os.stat(file_path).st_size == 0:
    print('The file is empty')

This code snippet checks if the file at the specified path is empty. If the file is empty, it prints the message ‘The file is empty.’ If the file is not empty, the code does not print anything.

Checking if a file is NOT empty

To check if a file is not empty, we can use the not equals operator. Here’s an example:

import os
file_path = '/path/to/file.txt'
if os.stat(file_path).st_size != 0:
    print('The file is not empty')

This code snippet checks if the file at the specified path is not empty. If the file is not empty, it prints the message ‘The file is not empty.’ If the file is empty, the code does not print anything.

Handling a case where the file doesn’t exist

If the specified file does not exist, the code will raise a FileNotFoundError exception. To handle this case, we need to use a try/except statement.

import os
file_path = '/path/to/invalid_file.txt'
try:
    if os.stat(file_path).st_size == 0:
        print('The file is empty')
except FileNotFoundError:
    print('The specified file does not exist')

This code snippet checks if the file at the specified path is empty. If the file is empty, it prints the message ‘The file is empty.’ If the file does not exist, it prints the message ‘The specified file does not exist.’ If the file is not empty, the code does not print anything.

Using os.path.getsize() method

Another way to check if a file is empty in Python is by using the os.path.getsize() method. This method returns the size of the file in bytes.

import os
file_path = '/path/to/file.txt'
if os.path.getsize(file_path) == 0:
    print('The file is empty')

This code snippet checks if the file at the specified path is empty. If the file is empty, it prints the message ‘The file is empty.’ If the file is not empty, the code does not print anything.

Handling a case where the specified file doesn’t exist

If the specified file does not exist, the code will raise an OSError exception. To handle this case, we need to use a try/except statement.

import os
file_path = '/path/to/invalid_file.txt'
try:
    if os.path.getsize(file_path) == 0:
        print('The file is empty')
except OSError:
    print('The specified file does not exist')

This code snippet checks if the file at the specified path is empty. If the file is empty, it prints the message ‘The file is empty.’ If the file does not exist, it prints the message ‘The specified file does not exist.’ If the file is not empty, the code does not print anything.

Using pathlib.Path() class

Python 3.4 introduced the pathlib module, which provides an object-oriented way to handle file paths and directories. We can use the Path() class from this module to check if a file is empty.

from pathlib import Path
file_path = Path('/path/to/file.txt')
if file_path.stat().st_size == 0:
    print('The file is empty')

This code snippet checks if the file at the specified path is empty. If the file is empty, it prints the message ‘The file is empty.’ If the file is not empty, the code does not print anything.

Conclusion

In this article, we explored different methods to check if a file is empty in Python. We covered using the os.stat() and os.path.getsize() methods, as well as the pathlib.Path() class.

We also showed how to handle different scenarios, such as when the specified file does not exist. These methods are useful for file handling tasks, and it is important for programmers to know how to use them effectively to save time and effort.

By mastering these techniques, one can save time and enhance their productivity. Understanding how to determine if a file is empty in Python can make a significant impact on the success of programming tasks.

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