In Python Getting the folder wrong with pathlib ( \u2069 )

Question

I can not make the following code work in my mac and I don't know why.

import os
from pathlib import Path   
list_file_name     = 'listoffiles.txt'
list_of_files_path = Path('Users⁩/jose⁩/CODE⁩/OPS')
list_file_with_path= os.path.join (list_of_files_path,list_file_name )
print(list_of_files_path)

result: Users⁩/jose⁩/CODE⁩/OPS/listoffiles.txt which seems to be ok

but when I go on in order to read the text file into a list:

lineList = [line.rstrip('\n') for line in open(list_file_with_path)]

I get: FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: 'Users\u2069/jose\u2069/CODE\u2069/OPS/listoffiles.txt'

I don't get how do I have to call the path in order to get it right.

Some help? what I am doing wrong?

NOTES: researching the problem in internet I found a couple of pages telling that the "old" way to work with paths in with os library, whereas the "new and good one" is pathlib from python 3.4. Is that so. Should I forget os?

it seems your have strange char \u2069 in string 'Users⁩/jose⁩/CODE⁩/OPS'. You may try to rewrite this string again. When I try print('a\u2069b') on Linux then it display ab so this char is invisible for people. Maybe problem is your editor. — furas
– furas, Commented May 19, 2019 at 17:33

Mark Tolonen · Accepted Answer · 2019-05-19 18:16:40Z

3

The string in your sample code above has the Unicode characters directly entered in the string constant. I cut-n-pasted your code and see the result:

from pathlib import Path   
list_of_files_path = Path('Users⁩/jose⁩/CODE⁩/OPS')
print(repr(list_of_files_path))

Output:

WindowsPath('Users\u2069/jose\u2069/CODE\u2069/OPS')

My editor even displays them:

editor with pictographs of control characters

U+2069 is an invisible bidirectional text control character POP DIRECTIONAL ISOLATE. Maybe your editor was in a bidrectional text mode when it was typed? To fix, retype the string and make sure via repr() that there are no more control characters.

answered May 19, 2019 at 18:16

Mark Tolonen

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1 Comment

JFerro Over a year ago

That was it. I copy and pasted the path from info and it included a character that I thought I had deleted but not completely.

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