How to Find and Copy Files with Multiple Criteria in Python

Learn how to effectively `search and filter files` in Python based on multiple criteria using sets and intersections. This guide will walk you through the process with practical code examples.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/62410299/ asked by the user 'Adriano Ribeiro' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/13314510/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/62410454/ provided by the user 'Roy2012' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/1105560/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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How to Find and Copy Files with Multiple Criteria in Python

Finding files based on specific criteria can sometimes be a challenging task, especially when you need to match multiple terms simultaneously. In this post, we'll address a common scenario where you might want to locate files that match both an invoice number and a client name from a dataset.

The Problem

Imagine you have a DataFrame that consists of invoice numbers and client names, and you need to find files in a directory that contain both of these criteria in their names. For instance, you may want to look for files that contain "Banana" (the client name) and "A5000" (the invoice number) at the same time.

If you try to combine criteria naively, you might end up frustrated by the limitations of string concatenation and logical operators. Let’s dive into a more effective solution using Python.

The Solution

To find files that match both criteria, you can use sets and their intersection. Here’s how you can do it step-by-step:

Step 1: Import Necessary Libraries

Before delving into the code, ensure you have the required libraries imported. Here’s how to set it up:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 2: Prepare Your Data and Paths

Set up your DataFrame and define the paths where your files are located and where the results will be stored. An example setup might look like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Step 3: Find Files Using Set Intersection

Next, we'll iterate through the DataFrame and use sets to find the files that match both the invoice and the client. Here’s a sample implementation:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

Path and rglob: The Path.rglob() method is used to search for files recursively through directories. The pattern f"*{i}*" searches for files containing the specific invoice number, while f"*{c}*" does the same for the client.

Sets and Intersection: Using sets allows you to easily find common elements between two lists of files. The intersection method returns only the files that are in both sets, effectively filtering your results.

Displaying Results: Finally, if matching files exist, the code retrieves and displays the first one, making it easier to identify key files based on your search criteria.

Conclusion

By leveraging sets and intersections, you can efficiently find files that contain multiple criteria in their names. This approach simplifies your search process and makes your code cleaner and more effective.

The next time you need to search for files in a directory based on several conditions, give this method a try!