Effortlessly Change File Extension Using Python

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Python Tutorial: How to Change File Extension

In this Python tutorial, we will learn how to change the file extension of multiple files in a directory. We will provide step-by-step instructions along with executable sample codes to make it easier for you to follow along.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Required Libraries
3. Changing File Extension
   1. Obtaining File Names
   2. Looping through Files
   3. Changing File Extensions
4. Conclusion

1. Introduction

Changing file extensions can be a tedious task, especially if you have a large number of files to modify. Python provides an efficient way to automate this task by utilizing its built-in modules. In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to use Python to change file extensions in a specified directory.

2. Required Libraries

Before we begin, make sure you have the following Python libraries installed:

• os: This module provides various functions to interact with the operating system.
• shutil: This module offers high-level file operations.

You can install these libraries using pip by running the following command in your terminal:

pip install os shutil

3. Changing File Extension

Let’s dive into the step-by-step process of changing the file extensions.

3.1 Obtaining File Names

To start, we need to obtain the filenames of the files we want to modify. We can do this using the os module’s listdir function. Here’s how you can accomplish this:

import os

# Specify the directory path
directory = '/path/to/files/'

# Get the list of files in the directory
file_list = os.listdir(directory)

3.2 Looping through Files

Next, we will loop through each file in the directory and check if it has the desired extension. If it does, we will proceed with changing its extension. Here’s a sample implementation:

import os

# Specify the directory path
directory = '/path/to/files/'

# Get the list of files in the directory
file_list = os.listdir(directory)

# Loop through each file
for file_name in file_list:
    # Check if file has desired extension
    if file_name.endswith('.old_extension'):
        # Change extension
        new_file_name = file_name.replace('.old_extension', '.new_extension')
        # Rename file
        os.rename(os.path.join(directory, file_name), os.path.join(directory, new_file_name))

3.3 Changing File Extensions

Lastly, we will change the file extensions using the shutil module’s move function. This function allows us to move and rename files. Here’s the final implementation:

import os
import shutil

# Specify the directory path
directory = '/path/to/files/'

# Get the list of files in the directory
file_list = os.listdir(directory)

# Loop through each file
for file_name in file_list:
    # Check if file has desired extension
    if file_name.endswith('.old_extension'):
        # Change extension
        new_file_name = file_name.replace('.old_extension', '.new_extension')
        # Move and rename file
        shutil.move(os.path.join(directory, file_name), os.path.join(directory, new_file_name))

4. Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have learned how to change file extensions using Python. We have provided step-by-step instructions and sample code to guide you through the process. Now you can automate the task of changing file extensions in a directory and save much-needed time and effort.

Feel free to experiment with the code and modify it to suit your specific requirements. Python’s flexibility makes it a powerful tool for file manipulation tasks, helping you become more efficient in handling your data.