How to Read a File from a Subdirectory Using a Relative Path in Python?

Reading a File Using a Relative Path in a Python Project

The problem pertains to the usage of relative paths in Python projects, specifically when trying to access files within the project structure. When attempting to read a file from a subdirectory using a relative path in the code, you may encounter errors.

The issue arises because relative paths are dependent on the current working directory. This means that if you run the main script (main.py) from the project directory, the relative path (../data/test.csv) in module.py would not resolve correctly. It would refer to a location outside of the project directory instead of the intended data subdirectory.

To resolve this, it is recommended to use absolute paths, which are not relative to the current working directory. One approach is to utilize the file special attribute, which provides the absolute path to the currently running script. From this, you can construct the absolute path to the desired file using Pathlib (for Python 3.4 ) or os.path (for older Python versions):

Using Pathlib (Python 3.4 ):

<code class="python">from pathlib import Path

path = Path(__file__).parent / "../data/test.csv"</code>

Using os.path:

<code class="python">import os.path

my_path = os.path.abspath(os.path.dirname(__file__))
path = os.path.join(my_path, "../data/test.csv")</code>

By using absolute paths, you can always access files correctly, regardless of the current working directory.

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