Standard Library
Python glob Module
Python File Pattern Matching
Python glob module finds files with recursive pattern matching.
Introduction to the glob Module
The glob module in Python is a powerful tool for file pattern matching and directory traversal. It allows you to easily search for files and directories that match a specific pattern, using wildcards and recursive searching. This makes it ideal for tasks that involve file manipulation and organization.
Basic Usage of glob
The glob module provides a function called glob() that returns a list of path names matching a specified pattern. The pattern may include simple shell-style wildcards:
*matches everything?matches any single character[seq]matches any character in the sequence
Recursive Searching with glob
With the advent of Python 3.5, the glob module includes support for recursive file searching. By using the ** pattern, you can search through all directories and subdirectories. You must also set the recursive parameter to True:
Using glob with Absolute Paths
The glob module can also be used with absolute paths. This is useful when you need to search for files outside the current working directory:
Limitations and Considerations
While the glob module is quite powerful, it has some limitations:
- It does not support regular expressions, only shell-style wildcards.
- On Windows, it may behave differently due to the underlying file system.
Despite these limitations, the glob module is widely used and remains a staple for file pattern searching in Python scripts.
Standard Library
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