Python | os.path.commonpath() method
Last Updated :
22 May, 2019
Improve
OS module in Python provides functions for interacting with the operating system. OS comes under Python’s standard utility modules. This module provides a portable way of using operating system dependent functionality. os.path module is submodule of OS module in Python used for common path name manipulation.
Python3
Python3
os.path.commonpath()
method in Python is used to get the longest common sub-path in a list of paths. This method raise ValueError if the specified list of paths either contains both absolute and relative path, or is empty. Unlike os.path.commonpath()
method, the returned value is a valid path.
For example consider the following list of paths:
list of paths Longest common sub-path ['/home/User/Photos', /home/User/Videos'] /home/User ['/usr/local/bin', '/usr/lib'] /usr
Syntax: os.path.commonpath(list) Parameter: path: A list of path-like object. A path-like object is either a string or bytes object representing a path. Return Type: This method returns a string value which represents the longest common sub-path in the specified list.Code #1: Use of os.path.commonpath() method
# Python program to explain os.path.commonpath() method
# importing os module
import os
# List of Paths
paths = ['/home/User/Desktop', '/home/User/Documents',
'/home/User/Downloads']
# Get the
# longest common sub-path
# in the specified list
prefix = os.path.commonpath(paths)
# Print the
# longest common sub-path
# in the specified list
print("Longest common sub-path:", prefix)
# List of Paths
paths = ['/usr/local/bin', '/usr/bin']
# Get the
# longest common sub-path
# in the specified list
prefix = os.path.commonpath(paths)
# Print the
# longest common sub-path
# in the specified list
print("Longest common sub-path:", prefix)
Output:
Code #2: Use of os.path.commonpath() method
Longest common sub-path: /home/User Longest common sub-path: /usr
# Python program to explain os.path.commonpath() method
# importing os module
import os
# List of Paths
paths = ['/usr/local/bin', 'usr/bin']
# Get the
# longest common sub-path
# in the specified list
prefix = os.path.commonpath(paths)
# Print the
# longest common sub-path
# in the specified list
print("Longest common sub-path:", prefix)
# The above code will raise
# ValueError as list of paths
# contains both absolute and
# relative path
Output:
Note: If the specified list is empty, Traceback (most recent call last): File "oscommonpath.py", line 12, in prefix = os.path.commonpath(paths) File "/usr/lib/python3.6/posixpath.py", line 505, in commonpath raise ValueError("Can't mix absolute and relative paths") from None ValueError: Can't mix absolute and relative paths
os.path.commonpath()
method will raise ValueError too.
Reference: https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.path.html