Python - Replace multiple characters in one file name

Question

I am copying files from one folder into another. The files contain dashes '-' and spaces ' ' . For example, test-file 123.dwg I need to replace those hyphens and spaces with underscores so it would look like this test_file_123.dwg

I've tried this and it replaces the hyphen fine but no the space. If I comment out the one of them, the other works.

file = string.replace(NAME,"-", "_")  
file = string.replace(NAME," ", "_")

I have also tried this:

test = (' ', '-')  
file = string.replace(NAME, test, "_")

but no luck. I am using Python 2.7.
All tips welcome.

No, both replacements work. The first replaces and stores the result in a string called file. The second also replaces and also stores the result in file. At that point it overwrites the previous contents of the variable. No surprise there; x = 1 followed by x = 2 yields in x = 2, not x = 1 or 2 or any other previous value. — Jongware
– Jongware, Commented Mar 8, 2018 at 10:42
You're storing it in a different variable, which you aren't using in the next statement. — Zeokav
– Zeokav, Commented Mar 8, 2018 at 10:43
@usr2564301 : This worked! It seems obvious now when you say it but I was going around in circles. — user28849
– user28849, Commented Mar 8, 2018 at 11:23

Rakesh · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-08 10:46:07Z

2

This should help. Try chaining the replace method

string = "test-file 123.dwg"
file = string.replace("-", "_").replace(" ", "_")
print file

Output:

test_file_123.dwg

answered Mar 8, 2018 at 10:46

Rakesh

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JahKnows · Accepted Answer · 2018-03-08 10:44:34Z

0

Try this

x = "test-102"
x = x.replace('-', '_')
print(x)

test_102

The replace method should be called on your created string. Not the string class.

answered Mar 8, 2018 at 10:44

JahKnows

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