Check if a file exists in Python

Files are an essential component of any programming language, and Python provides us with several ways to handle them. One of the most basic operations is checking if a file exists before performing any other operations on it. In this tutorial, we will dive into the various methods of checking for the presence of a file using the built-in functions and libraries in Python. We will explore the use of conditional statements, file open mode, the OS library, and other techniques to help you determine if a file exists or not using Python. Let's get started!

Using os.path.exists() function to check if a file exists

• Import the  os  module.
• Use the  os.path.exists()  function with the file path as the argument.
• If the file exists, the function returns  True .
•  If the file does not exist, the function returns  False .
• Code Sample : 

# Example code for using os.path.exists() function
import os
file_path = "example.txt"
if os.path.exists(file_path):
   print(f"{file_path} exists.")
else:
   print(f"{file_path} does not exist.")
   
   
   

Using the pathlib module to check if a file exists 

• Import the pathlib module.
• Create a  Path  object with the file path as the argument.
• Use the  exists()  method of the  Path  object to check if the file exists.
• If the file exists, the function returns  True .
•  If the file does not exist, the function returns  False .
• Code Sample : 

# Example code for using the pathlib module
from pathlib import Path
file_path = "example.txt"
if Path(file_path).exists():
   print(f"{file_path} exists.")
else:
   print(f"{file_path} does not exist.")