Path: csiph.com!x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net!usenet.pasdenom.info!news.albasani.net!newsfeed.freenet.ag!news2.euro.net!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.000 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 1.00; '*S*': 0.00; 'args': 0.05; 'parser': 0.05; 'specifying': 0.07; 'python': 0.08; '__name__': 0.09; 'desktop.': 0.09; 'folder,': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'skip:\\ 10': 0.09; 'skip:\\ 20': 0.09; 'subject:files': 0.09; 'def': 0.13; '"__main__":': 0.16; 'argparse': 0.16; 'output?': 0.16; 'received:dip.t-dialin.net': 0.16; 'received:t-dialin.net': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'purposes.': 0.18; 'wrap': 0.18; 'trying': 0.21; 'file,': 0.21; 'runs': 0.23; 'correct,': 0.23; 'from:addr:web.de': 0.23; 'code': 0.26; 'import': 0.27; 'script': 0.28; 'print': 0.29; 'correct': 0.29; 'skip:p 30': 0.29; 'confident': 0.30; 'invoke': 0.30; 'ran': 0.30; 'changes': 0.30; 'usually': 0.31; 'test': 0.34; 'file': 0.34; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.34; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.35; 'however,': 0.35; 'trouble': 0.35; 'something': 0.35; 'folder': 0.35; 'received:org': 0.36; 'pull': 0.37; 'skip:" 10': 0.37; 'some': 0.38; 'doing': 0.38; 'should': 0.38; 'files': 0.39; 'flexibility': 0.39; 'subject:from': 0.39; 'put': 0.40; 'change': 0.40; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.40; 'your': 0.61; 'making': 0.64; 'here': 0.64; 'destination': 0.67; 'exact': 0.68; 'confidence': 0.82; 'online,': 0.88; 'from.': 0.93 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de> Subject: Re: Reading files in from the proper directory Date: Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:59:05 +0100 Organization: None References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: p50849bc6.dip.t-dialin.net X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.12 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 43 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1328641121 news.xs4all.nl 6861 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:37395 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:19974 SMac2347@comcast.net wrote: > Hello. I am admittedly a Python novice, and ran into some trouble > trying to write a program that will pull multiple excel files all into > one file, with each file on a different sheet. > > I am confident most of the code is correct, as the program runs > without any errors and I found the base of it online, making changes > as necessary for my own purposes. That confidence usually evaporates once you write the first unit test ;) > However, I am having trouble > specifying the exact directory where my code should be pulling the > files from. All the files are in the same folder, and I have put the > folder on my desktop. Am I correct in thinking that I need to change > the current working directory to this folder in order for Python to > read in these files, then generate my output? Or should I be doing > something else? Do it properly, allow specifying the files on the commandline: import argparse def process_files(files, destfile): # put your real code here print "merge " + "\n ".join(files) print "into " + destfile if __name__ == "__main__": parser = argparse.ArgumentParser() parser.add_argument("files", metavar="file", nargs="+") parser.add_argument("destfile") args = parser.parse_args() process_files(args.files, args.destfile) If you have standard locations for sources and destination you can wrap your python script into a little batch file containing something like python \source\path\*.xls \dest\path\merged.xls and invoke that to get both flexibility and convenience.