Python: Create directory tree from nested list of dictionaries

Question

How can I create a directory tree from the below list of dictionaries in python? The number of subdirectory levels has to be variable.

dirTree: 
    [{'level-1_dir-1': ''}, 
    {'level-1_dir-2': 
        [{'level-2_dir-1': 
            [{'level-3_dir-1': ''}, 
            {'level-3_dir-2': ''}, 
            {'level-3_dir-3': ''}
            ]
        }, 
        {'level-2_dir-2': ''}
        ]
    }, 
    {'level-1_dir-3': ''}, 
    {'level-1_dir-4': ''}
    ]

I would like to accomplish something like the following tasks with python:

• Iterate through the level-1 keys
  • create folder with key name
  • if it has a value other than ' '
    • create subfolder
    • if the subfolder has a value other than ' '
      • create subfolder...
      • ...and so on, until there are no more deeper levels,
      • then go to the next level-1 key and start over

Answer 1

You may recursivly create the dir, with the appropriate way regarding your structure

def createPath(values, prefix=""):
    for item in values:
        directory, paths = list(item.items())[0]
        dir_path = join(prefix, directory)
        makedirs(dir_path, exist_ok=True)
        createPath(paths, dir_path)

Call like createPath(dirTree) or createPath(dirTree, "/some/where) to choose the initial start

---

A simplier structure with only dicts would be more usable, because a dict for one mapping only is not very nice

res = {
    'level-1_dir-1': '',
    'level-1_dir-2':
        {
            'level-2_dir-1':
                {
                    'level-3_dir-1': '',
                    'level-3_dir-2': '',
                    'level-3_dir-3': ''
                },
            'level-2_dir-2': ''
        },
    'level-1_dir-3': '',
    'level-1_dir-4': ''
}

# with appropriate code
def createPath(values, prefix=""):
    for directory, paths in values.items():
        dir_path = join(prefix, directory)
        makedirs(dir_path, exist_ok=True)
        if isinstance(paths, dict):
            createPath(paths, dir_path)