Reputation: 301
I'm still relatively new to programming and Python. But I am sure this must be possible but my searches are not turning up what I'm looking for.
In my current directory, I have 6 PDF files that I wish to read in via the loop below.
What I would like to do is open each of the PDF's with a new variable name, as you can see it is imaginatively called pdf[1-6]File.pdf
.
I can list the files in the console and pull them via the code when I stick breaks in to stop it executing but I can't for the life of me work out how to create the variable name. I thought something like "pdf" + str(i) + "File" would have worked but I'm missing something.
Code is below - not complete but enough so you get what I'm looking at:
#Open the PDF files in the current directory for
#reading in binary mode
def opensource():
listOfFiles = os.listdir('.')
pattern = "*.pdf"
for entry in listOfFiles:
if fnmatch.fnmatch(entry, pattern):
# Works to here perfectly
for i in range(len(entry)):
# print(len(entry))
# Trying to create the variable name with
# an incremental numeral in the file name
"pdf" + i + "File" = open(entry, 'rb')
This bit below is how I'm currently doing it and its a pain in the backside. I'm sure it can be done programmatically
#This is the old way. Monolithic and horrid
#Open the files that have to be merged one by one
pdf1File = open('file1.pdf', 'rb')
pdf2File = open('file2.pdf', 'rb')
pdf3File = open('file3.pdf', 'rb')
pdf4File = open('file4.pdf', 'rb')
pdf5File = open('file5.pdf', 'rb')
pdf6File = open('file6.pdf', 'rb')
All help gratefully received.
Thanks
Upvotes: 0
Views: 1143
Reputation: 1086
If you are going to use the file pointer outside this for loop, you can very well use a dictionary to do that..
def opensource():
listOfFiles = os.listdir('.')
pattern = "*.pdf"
file_ptrs = {}
for entry in listOfFiles:
if fnmatch.fnmatch(entry, pattern):
# Works to here perfectly
for i in range(len(entry)):
# print(len(entry))
# Trying to create the variable name with
# an incremental numeral in the file name
file_ptrs["pdf" + str(i) + "File"] = open(entry, 'rb')
Caution: Its always advisable to use the open method alongside of a "with
" clause in python.. it takes care of closing the file once the file operation goes out of context.
Upvotes: 2