Create temporary files and directories using tempfile
Last Updated : 18 Jan, 2024
Python tempfile module allows you to create a temporary file and perform various operations on it. Temporary files may be required when we need to store data temporarily during the program’s execution or when we are working with a large amount of data. These files are created with unique names and stored in a platform-dependent default location. The files created using tempfile module are deleted as soon as they are closed.
In this tutorial, we will cover how to create and edit temporary files:
Creating a Temporary File
The file is created using the TemporaryFile() function of the tempfile module. By default, the file is opened in w+b mode, that is, we can both read and write to the open file. Binary mode is used so that files can work with all types of data. This file may not have a proper visible name in the file system.
Example:
Python3
import tempfile
temp = tempfile.TemporaryFile()
print(temp)
print(temp.name)
|
Output:
<_io.BufferedRandom name=7>
7
The function returns a file-like object that can be used as a temporary storage area. name attribute is used to get the random and unique name of the file.
Note: This is not an actual visible filename and there is no reference to this file in the file system.
Creating a Named Temporary File
The NamedTemporaryFile() function creates a file in the same way as TemporaryFile() but with a visible name in the file system. It takes a delete parameter which we can set as False to prevent the file from being deleted when it is closed.
Example:
Python3
import tempfile
temp = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile()
print(temp)
print(temp.name)
|
Output:
<tempfile._TemporaryFileWrapper object at 0x7f77d332f6d8>
/tmp/tmprumbbjz4
This also returns a file-like object as before, the only difference is that the file has a visible name this time.
Adding a Suffix and a Prefix to a Temporary File
We may choose to add a suffix or prefix to the name of a named temporary file, by specifying the parameters ‘suffix’ and ‘prefix’.
Example
Python3
import tempfile
temp = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(prefix='pre_', suffix='_suf')
print(temp.name)
|
Output:
/tmp/pre_ddur6hvr_suf
Reading and Writing to a Temporary File
The write() method is used to write to a temporary file. It takes input as binary data by default. We can pass the string to be written as input, preceded by a ‘b’ to convert it to binary data.
The write function returns the number of characters written. If we open the file in text mode(w+t), we can use the writelines() method instead, which takes a string parameter. After writing to the file, the pointer is at the end of the file. So, before we can read the contents, seek() method is called to set the file pointer at the start of the file.
seek() takes as argument the index of the character before which we want to place the pointer. The read() function is then used to read the contents.
Example:
Python3
import tempfile
temp = tempfile.TemporaryFile()
temp.write(b'foo bar')
temp.seek(0)
print(temp.read())
temp.close()
|
Output :
b'foo bar'
Creating a Temporary Directory
Like creating files, we can also create a temporary directory to store our temporary files. The TemporaryDirectory() function is used to create the directory. After we are done working with the temporary files, the directory needs to be deleted manually using os.removedirs().
Example:
Python3
import tempfile
import os
temp_dir = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
print(temp_dir)
|
Output:
<TemporaryDirectory '/tmp/tmpgjl5ki_5'>
Secure Temporary File and Directory
We can securely create a temporary file using mkstemp(). The file created by this method is readable and writable only by the creating user. We can add prefix and suffix parameters like in NamedTemporaryFile(). The default mode is binary, but we can open it in text mode by setting the ‘text’ parameter as True. This file does not get deleted when closed.
Example:
Python3
import tempfile
secure_temp = tempfile.mkstemp(prefix="pre_",suffix="_suf")
print(secure_temp)
|
Output:
(71, '/tmp/pre_i5us4u9j_suf')
Similarly, we can create a secure temporary directory using mkdtemp() method.
Example:
Python3
import tempfile
secure_temp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="pre_",suffix="_suf")
print(secure_temp_dir)
|
Output:
/tmp/pre_9xmtwh4u_suf
Location of Temporary Files
We can set the location where the files are stored by setting the tempdir attribute. The location can be fetched using gettempdir() method. When we create a temporary file or directory, Python searches in a standard list of directories to find one in which the calling user can create files.
The list in order of preference is :
- The directory named by the TMPDIR environment variable.
- The directory named by the TEMP environment variable.
- The directory named by the TMP environment variable.
- A platform-specific directory:
- On Windows, the directories C:\TEMP, C:\TMP, \TEMP, and \TMP, in that order.
- On all other platforms, the directories /tmp, /var/tmp, and /usr/tmp, in that order.
- The current working directory.
Example:
Python3
import tempfile
tempfile.tempdir = "/temp"
print(tempfile.gettempdir())
|
Output:
/temp
We have covered the methods used to create temporary files and directories. We have also covered different operations like creating named temporary files, adding prefixes and suffixes, and setting the location of the temporary files.
Temporary files are a very important concept in Advanced Python programming. Creating and using temporary files will help you in many operations like handling intermediate data, testing, development, etc.
Similar Reads
Make multiple directories based on a List using Python
In this article, we are going to learn how to make directories based on a list using Python. Python has a Python module named os which forms the core part of the Python ecosystem. The os module helps us to work with operating system folders and other related functionalities. Although we can make fol
3 min read
Create an empty file using Python
File handling is a very important concept for any programmer. It can be used for creating, deleting, and moving files, or to store application data, user configurations, videos, images, etc. Python too supports file handling and allows users to handle files i.e., to read and write files, along with
3 min read
How to Create Directory If it Does Not Exist using Python?
In this article, We will learn how to create a Directory if it Does Not Exist using Python. Method 1: Using os.path.exists() and os.makedirs() methods Under this method, we will use exists() method takes path of demo_folder as an argument and returns true if the directory exists and returns false if
2 min read
How to create a duplicate file of an existing file using Python?
In this article, we will discuss how to create a duplicate of the existing file in Python. Below are the source and destination folders, before creating the duplicate file in the destination folder. After a duplicate file has been created in the destination folder, it looks like the image below. For
5 min read
Listing out directories and files in Python
The following is a list of some of the important methods/functions in Python with descriptions that you should know to understand this article. len() - It is used to count number of elements(items/characters) of iterables like list, tuple, string, dictionary etc. str() - It is used to transform data
6 min read
Create a directory in Python
In Python, you can create directories to store and manage your data efficiently. This capability is particularly useful when building applications that require dynamic file handling, such as web scrapers, data processing scripts, or any application that generates output files. Let's discuss differen
4 min read
How to create a list of files, folders, and subfolders in Excel using Python ?
In this article, we will learn How to create a list of Files, Folders, and Sub Folders and then export them to Excel using Python. We will create a list of names and paths using a few folder traversing methods explained below and store them in an Excel sheet by either using openpyxl or pandas module
12 min read
Python - List Files in a Directory
Sometimes, while working with files in Python, a problem arises with how to get all files in a directory. In this article, we will cover different methods of how to list all file names in a directory in Python. Table of Content What is a Directory in Python?How to List Files in a Directory in Python
9 min read
Python - Read file from sibling directory
In this article, we will discuss the method to read files from the sibling directory in Python. First, create two folders in a root folder, and one folder will contain the python file and the other will contain the file which is to be read. Below is the dictionary tree: Directory Tree: root : | |__S
3 min read
Change current working directory with Python
The OS module in Python is used for interacting with the operating system. This module comes under Python's standard utility module so there is no need to install it externally. All functions in OS module raise OSError in the case of invalid or inaccessible file names and paths, or other arguments t
2 min read