Creating a non-compressed zip file with the ZipFile() method
Zip files are a popular way to compress multiple files into a single file for easier distribution and storage. In Python, working with zip files is made simpler with the zipfile module.
This module provides a range of tools to create, read, and modify zip files in Python. In this article, we will focus on how to create a non-compressed zip file using the ZipFile() method in Python.
The ZipFile() method is a constructor used to create a new ZIP archive file or to open an existing one. The first argument to the method is the name or path of the archive file that is to be created.
The second argument indicates the mode in which the archive should be opened.
Suppose we want to create a new zip file called “my_archive.zip”, located in the current working directory.
We can do this by running the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_archive.zip", mode="w")
The mode argument tells the ZipFile() method that we want to open the file in write mode. The “w” specifies that the file should be opened with write access.
If the file already exists, it will be truncated. If it does not exist, it will be created.
Adding files to a zip file with write() method
The next step is to add files to the archive. We can do this by using the write() method of the ZipFile object.
The write() method takes two arguments: the name of the file to be added and the name of the archive file, respectively. Suppose we want to add two files: file1.txt and file2.txt, both located in the current working directory, to the archive “my_archive.zip”.
We can do this by running the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_archive.zip", mode="w")
my_zipfile.write("file1.txt")
my_zipfile.write("file2.txt")
my_zipfile.close()
The write() method automatically compresses the files to save space in the archive, but because we specified non-compressed mode while creating the archive, our files will be uncompressed.
Closing the file object
After adding all the required files, it is essential to close the file object with the close() method. This method ensures that all changes made to the archive are saved and that resources are properly freed.
In our example, we closed the object by running the my_zipfile.close() statement. This will release the archive file and free up any resources used by the object.
Conclusion
In conclusion, creating a non-compressed zip file with the zipfile module in Python is a straightforward task. We learned how to use the ZipFile() method to create a new archive or open an existing one.
We also learned how to add files to the archive using the write() method and how to close the archive object with the close() method. With this knowledge, you can start creating your non-compressed zip files in Python and simplify your file management tasks.
Creating a compressed zip file with the ZipFile() method
In addition to non-compressed zip files, the zipfile module also allows us to create compressed zip files. We can do this by specifying a compression algorithm as an argument when creating a new archive.
The DEFLATED algorithm is the default algorithm used by the module and is typically suitable for most types of files. To create a compressed zip file, we modify the creation statement as follows:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_archive.zip", mode="w", compression=zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED)
In the above example, we provided the compression argument to the ZipFile() method, specifying the DEFLATED algorithm. This algorithm uses a combination of Huffman coding and adaptive compression to compress files.
Adding files to a compressed zip file
Adding files to a compressed zip file is similar to adding files to a non-compressed zip file. We use the write() method to add files to the archive.
Suppose we want to add two files: file1.txt and file2.txt, both located in the current working directory, to a compressed archive called “my_compressed_archive.zip”. We can do this by running the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="w", compression=zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED)
my_zipfile.write("file1.txt")
my_zipfile.write("file2.txt")
my_zipfile.close()
This code is similar to the code for creating a non-compressed zip file, but with the addition of the compression argument and the use of ZIP_DEFLATED as its value.
Checking contents of a zipped folder without extracting files
In some cases, we may want to check the contents of a zipped folder without having to extract its files. The zipfile module provides a simple way to do this using the namelist() method.
The namelist() method returns a list of the names of all the files and directories in the zip file. We can use this method to get a list of all the files in our archive without extracting them.
Suppose we have a compressed zip file called “my_compressed_archive.zip” containing two files: file1.txt and file2.txt. We can get a list of the files in the archive without extracting them by running the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="r")
files_list = my_zipfile.namelist()
print(files_list)
my_zipfile.close()
In the above example, we first opened the zip file in read mode using the ZipFile() method. We then used the namelist() method to get a list of all the files in the archive.
Finally, we printed the list of files to the console and closed the archive using the close() method.
Looping over contents of the zip file with for loop
We can also loop over the contents of a zip file without extracting the files using a for loop. This allows us to execute a set of actions on each file without having to extract them first.
Suppose we have a compressed zip file called “my_compressed_archive.zip” containing two files: file1.txt and file2.txt. We want to loop through the contents of the archive and print the contents of each file to the console.
We can do this by running the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="r")
for filename in my_zipfile.namelist():
with my_zipfile.open(filename) as myfile:
print(f"Contents of {filename}: ")
print(myfile.read())
my_zipfile.close()
In the above example, we used a for loop to loop through the contents of the archive. We used the namelist() method to get a list of all the files in the archive, and then opened each file using the open() and with statements.
We then printed the contents of each file to the console and closed the archive using the close() method.
Conclusion
In this article expansion, we learned how to create a compressed zip file with the ZipFile() method in Python. We also learned how to check the contents of a zip file without extracting its files, by using the namelist() method, and how to loop over the contents of a zip file without extracting its files, using a for loop.
With this knowledge, we can work with both compressed and non-compressed zip files in Python, and use various methods to interact with their contents.
Checking metadata of a zipped file with infolist() method
In addition to the contents of a zip file, we can also check its metadata, such as the file size, the creation time, and the compression method used, using the infolist() method. The infolist() method returns a list of ZipInfo objects that contains metadata for all the files in the archive.
Suppose we have a compressed zip file called “my_compressed_archive.zip” containing two files: file1.txt and file2.txt. We can check the metadata for each file in the archive by running the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="r")
for file in my_zipfile.infolist():
print(file.filename, file.file_size, file.create_time, file.compress_size, file.compress_type)
my_zipfile.close()
In the above example, we first opened the zip file in read mode using the ZipFile() method. We then used a for loop to iterate through the ZipInfo objects in the list returned by the infolist() method.
Inside the loop, we printed the file name, file size, creation time, compressed size, and the compression method used.
Appending files directly into a zip file with the write() method
At times, we may want to add files to an existing zip file without overwriting its existing contents. We can achieve this by opening the file in append mode and then using the write() method to add files.
Suppose we have created a compressed zip file called “my_compressed_archive.zip” and want to add a new file, file3.txt, to the archive. We can add the file to the archive without overwriting its existing contents by running the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="a")
my_zipfile.write("file3.txt")
my_zipfile.close()
In the above example, we first opened the zip file in append mode using the mode="a" argument in the ZipFile() method, and then added the new file, file3.txt, to the archive using the write() method without specifying the compression method. It is worth noting that if a file with the same name already exists in the archive, the new file will be added with a different name, with a numeric suffix appended to the end of the file name.
Conclusion
In this article expansion, we have learned how to check the metadata of a zipped file using the infolist() method, and how to append files directly to an existing zip file using the write() method in append mode. By using these methods, we can interact with zip files more efficiently and effectively within Python, ensuring that we can efficiently handle our archiving and compressions needs.
Extracting a single file from a zipped folder with the extract() method
In addition to adding files, we can also extract files from a zipped folder within Python. We can extract a single file from the archive using the extract() method by specifying the file name as an argument.
Suppose we have a compressed zip file named “my_compressed_archive.zip” containing three files: file1.txt, file2.txt, and file3.txt. If we want to extract file1.txt from this archive to the current working directory in which the Python script runs, we can use the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="r")
my_zipfile.extract("file1.txt")
my_zipfile.close()
In the above example, we opened the zip file in read mode using the ZipFile() method. We used the extract() method to extract file1.txt to the current working directory.
The extract() method searches for the file name provided as an argument and extracts the matching file. Finally, we closed the archive using the close() method.
Extracting all files from a zipped folder with the extractall() method
In addition to extracting individual files, we can extract all the files in a zipped folder using the extractall() method. We need to specify the output file name as an argument while invoking the method.
Suppose we have a compressed zip file named “my_compressed_archive.zip” containing three files: file1.txt, file2.txt, and file3.txt. If we want to extract all these files from the archive to the current working directory in which the Python script runs, we can use the following code:
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="r")
my_zipfile.extractall()
my_zipfile.close()
In the above example, we opened the zip file in read mode using the ZipFile() method. We used the extractall() method to extract all the files to the current working directory.
The extractall() method extracts all the files in the archive and creates a new folder with the name of the archive file. Finally, we closed the archive using the close() method.
If we want to extract all the files to a different directory rather than the current working directory, we can pass the directory’s name to the extractall() method as an argument.
import zipfile
my_zipfile = zipfile.ZipFile("my_compressed_archive.zip", mode="r")
my_zipfile.extractall("C:UsersDocuments")
my_zipfile.close()
In this example, the extractall() method will extract all the files to the “Documents” folder located in C:Users.
Conclusion
In this article expansion, we have learned how to extract files from a zipped folder using the extract() method for extracting single files and the extractall() method for extracting all files at once. By using these methods, we can interact with zip files more efficiently and effectively within Python, ensuring that we can efficiently handle our archiving and compression needs.
Conclusion
Zip files are an efficient way to store and transfer data. The Python language provides an easy way to create, manipulate, and extract zip files using the built-in zipfile module.
In this article, we have explored various aspects of working with zip files in Python, including creating non-compressed and compressed zip files, extracting files from zip folders, and appending files to zip folders.
We started by discussing the process of creating non-compressed zip files in Python using the ZipFile method and adding files to them using the write() method.
We also saw how to close the archive file using the close() method. Similarly, we explored how to create compressed zip files by providing a compression algorithm argument to the ZipFile method.
We also saw how to use the infolist() method to check for metadata contained within zip files. Next, we learned how to extract contents from a zipped folder using the extract() and extractall() methods.
We saw how to extract a single file by providing its filename as an argument to the extract() method. We also learned how to extract all files from a zip folder using the extractall() method, specifying an output directory to extract it to if required.
Finally, we also learned how to append files to existing zip folders through the write() method and by opening the file in append mode. This functionality can be useful in cases where we require a mechanism to add more content to an existing zipped folder.
In conclusion, the Python zipfile module provides a robust and easy-to-use interface for working with zip files in Python, enabling users to compress, archive and extract data files efficiently. This powerful functionality can be leveraged to create custom tools and solutions for data processing and management with Python.
The code samples and concepts presented in this article provide the groundwork to get started with manipulating zip files in Python. As you gain more experience using the zipfile module, you will find even more uses for it in your work with data.
In this article, we explored the use of the Python zipfile module for manipulating zip files in Python. We discussed the creation of both non-compressed and compressed zip files, along with extracting files from zip folders and appending files to zip folders.