How To Zip A Folder In Python

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Zipping a Folderpost, we will learn how to zip a folder in Python using the zipfile module and the os module. Zipping files can be useful in various situations, such as reducing the size of data for storage or transferring large files over the internet.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have Python installed on your system. You can download and install Python from the official website: https://www.python.org/downloads/

Zipping a Folder

To zip a folder in Python, we’ll use the zipfile module, which provides tools for reading and writing ZIP files, and the os module, which provides a way of interacting with the operating system. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to zip a folder:

  1. Import the zipfile and os modules.
  2. Create a function to zip the folder.
  3. Call the function to zip the folder.

Let’s go through each step in detail:

1. Import the zipfile and os modules

First, we need to import the necessary modules. Add the following lines at the beginning of your script:

import zipfile
import os

2. Create a function to zip the folder

Next, we’ll create a function called zip_folder, which takes two arguments: the folder path and the output ZIP file path. The function will traverse through the folder, compressing all files and folders within it.

def zip_folder(folder_path, output_path):
    with zipfile.ZipFile(output_path, 'w', zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED) as zipf:
        for root, _, files in os.walk(folder_path):
            for file in files:
                file_path = os.path.join(root, file)
                zipf.write(file_path, os.path.relpath(file_path, folder_path))

In this function, we use the zipfile.ZipFile class to create a new ZIP file. The os.walk function is used to traverse the folder hierarchy, and the zipfile.write method is used to add files to the ZIP file.

3. Call the function to zip the folder

Finally, we can call the zip_folder function to zip a folder. Replace your_folder_path and output_zip_path with the appropriate paths:

folder_path = 'your_folder_path'
output_path = 'output_zip_path.zip'
zip_folder(folder_path, output_path)

After running the script, you should see a zipped folder with the specified output path.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we learned how to zip a folder in Python using the zipfile and os modules. This method can be helpful for compressing data for storage or transferring large files more efficiently. Happy zipping!