[Tutor] Formatting zip module arguments correctly

[Kent Johnson]

On Sun, Apr 5, 2009 at 4:54 PM, Benjamin Serrato
<benjamin.serrato at gmail.com> wrote:
> Please tell me why this code fails. I am new and I don't understand why my
> formatting of my zip arguments is incorrect. Since I am unsure how to
> communicate best so I will show the code, the error message, and what I
> believe is happening.
>
> #!c:\python30
> # Filename: backup_ver5.py
>
> import os
> import time
>
> import zipfile
>
>
> source = r'C:\Documents and Settings\Benjamin Serrato\My
> Documents\python\backup_list'
>
> target_dir = r'C:\Documents and Settings\Benjamin Serrato\My
> Documents\python\backup_dir'
>
>
> today = target_dir + os.sep + time.strftime('%Y%m%d')
>
> now = time.strftime('%H%M%S')
>
> comment = input('Enter a comment --> ')
>
> if len(comment) == 0:
> 	target = today + os.sep + now + '.zip'
>
> else:
> 	target = today + os.sep + now + '_' + \
> 	comment.replace(' ', '_') + '.zip'
>
> if not os.path.exists(today):
> 	os.mkdir(today)
> 	print('Successfully created directory', today)
>
>
>
> print(target)
> print(source)
> zip_command = zipfile.ZipFile(target, 'w').write(source)

The argument to write() must be a file path,  are you giving it a
directory path?
>
> if os.system(zip_command) == 0:
> 	print('Successful backup to', target)
> else:
> 	print('Backup FAILED')
>
>
> I receive this error message:
>   File "c:\python30\lib\zipfile.py", line 1031, in write
>     fp = io.open(filename, "rb")
>   File "C:\Python30\lib\io.py", line 222, in open
>     closefd)
>   File "C:\Python30\lib\io.py", line 615, in __init__
>     _fileio._FileIO.__init__(self, name, mode, closefd)
> IOError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'C:\\Documents and Settings\\Benjamin
> Ser
> rato\\My Documents\\python\\backup_list'

Notice that it is the write() call that is failing, not ZipFile(), and
the error is a read error on target.

> The two print tests before zip_command is assigned tell me that the two
> strings are being passed to zipfile.ZipFile() correctly. The traceback tells
> me I am not calling zipfile.ZipFile() correctly. The error in __init__ makes
> me more sure of this.

No, it is FileIO.__init__() that is failing, not ZipFile.__init__()

> I used this site to figure out how to use zipfile. zipfile is a class, I
> import it at the start of the program then I use it and its primary method.
> I pass the file I would like to write to zipfile.ZipFile('file to write',
> 'mode') and set the program to open an object set to be writable. Then the
> command writes the file to the destination folder with a sub-method like so,
> "".zipfile('files to write').

It should be zipfile('file to write')

Kent