OSError in creating folder in a user given path PYTHON

Question

I am having a function in which I want to get a path from the user as input and I want to create a folder in the path.

Here is the code snippet:

import os
import datetime

def create_folder(name)
    current_time = datetime.datetime.now()
    folder_name = str(name)+"_("+str(current_time)+")_DATA"
    parent_dir = directory_var.get()        #getting value from tkinter
    print(folder_name)
    print(parent_dir)
    path = os.path.join(parent_dir, folder_name)
    os.mkdir(path)

create_folder("John")

The output with error I am getting is :

John_(2021-08-05 23:43:27.857903)_DATA
C:\app_testing

os.mkdir(path)
OSError: [WinError 123] The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect: 
'C:\\app_testing\\John_(2021-08-05 23:43:27.857903)_DATA'

I need to create a new folder or directory in the given parent_dir with folder name as John_(date)_DATA

alfinkel24 · Accepted Answer · 2021-08-05 18:52:11Z

6

I think your problem may be the colons? See Windows file/path naming conventions. Specifically,

Use any character in the current code page for a name, including 
Unicode characters and characters in the extended character set 
(128–255), except for the following:

The following reserved characters:

< (less than)
> (greater than)
: (colon)
" (double quote)
/ (forward slash)
\ (backslash)
| (vertical bar or pipe)
? (question mark)
* (asterisk)

If you reformat your date to replace the : that could solve your issue.

answered Aug 5, 2021 at 18:52

alfinkel24

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Comments

Francisco · Accepted Answer · 2021-08-05 19:10:42Z

1

Try this:

import os
import datetime
from time import strftime


def create_folder(name):
    current_time = datetime.datetime.now()
    x = current_time.strftime('%Y/%m/%d %H.%M.%S')  # You choose the format!
    folder_name = str(name)+"_("+str(x)+")_DATA"
    parent_dir = directory_var.get()  # getting value from tkinter
    print(folder_name)
    print(parent_dir)
    path = os.path.join(parent_dir, folder_name)
    os.mkdir(path)


create_folder("John")

edited Aug 5, 2021 at 19:10

answered Aug 5, 2021 at 19:01

Francisco

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4 Comments

BoarGules Over a year ago

Forward slashes are just as bad as colons from a Windows perspective.

Francisco Over a year ago

As I said: 'You choose the format!'; maybe I wasn't clear enough

BoarGules Over a year ago

Yes, you did, but novices have a way of blindly pasting code without bothering to read such comments. Better not to wrong-foot a beginner by presenting an example you know (or ought to know) won't work. OP would not have asked the question if he knew about the rules for Windows filenames.

Francisco Over a year ago

Sorry, I didn't make it clear that the answer was just an example of what he could do to change the format; thanks for the answer!

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