Getting Started with Python Automation

Python is an excellent language for automation due to its simplicity and powerful libraries. In this post, we'll explore how to get started with Python automation.

Why Python for Automation?

Python offers several advantages for automation:

• Easy to learn and read
• Rich ecosystem of libraries
• Cross-platform compatibility
• Strong community support

Basic Automation Examples

Here's a simple example of file automation:

Try it yourself (PYTHON)
Run Code
import os

def organize_files(source_dir, extensions):
    """
    Organize files in source_dir by moving them to subdirectories
    based on their file extensions.
    
    Args:
        source_dir: Directory containing files to organize
        extensions: Dict mapping extensions to folder names
    
    Returns:
        Dict with counts of files moved
    """
    results = {ext: 0 for ext in extensions.keys()}
    
    # Create destination folders if they don't exist
    for folder in extensions.values():
        folder_path = os.path.join(source_dir, folder)
        if not os.path.exists(folder_path):
            os.makedirs(folder_path)
    
    # Process each file in the source directory
    for filename in os.listdir(source_dir):
        file_path = os.path.join(source_dir, filename)
        
        # Skip directories
        if os.path.isdir(file_path):
            continue
            
        # Get file extension (lowercase)
        _, ext = os.path.splitext(filename)
        ext = ext.lower()
        
        # Move the file if extension is in our mapping
        if ext in extensions:
            destination = os.path.join(source_dir, extensions[ext], filename)
            # For this demo, just print what would happen
            print(f"Would move {filename} to {extensions[ext]}/")
            results[ext] += 1
    
    return results

# Example usage:
extensions_map = {
    '.txt': 'Documents',
    '.pdf': 'Documents',
    '.jpg': 'Images',
    '.png': 'Images',
    '.mp3': 'Music'
}

# Try calling the function with different parameters
organize_files('/home/user/downloads', extensions_map)
Output
Click "Run Code" to see the result

Next Steps

Stay tuned for more advanced automation techniques in future posts!