Python Fileoperations: Copy the File name and Content of 10 Files in another

In this Python tutorial, we will learn how to copy the file names and contents of 10 files into a single destination file. This is useful for consolidating multiple text files into one, such as log files, reports, or data processing tasks. We will iterate through a list of files, read their content, and write both the file names and content into a single file.

Code Example:

import os

# Function to copy file names and contents into a single file
def merge_files(file_list, destination_file):
    try:
        with open(destination_file, 'w') as dest:
            for file in file_list:
                if os.path.exists(file):  # Check if the file exists
                    with open(file, 'r') as src:
                        dest.write(f"File: {file}\n")  # Write file name
                        dest.write(src.read())  # Write file content
                        dest.write("\n" + "-" * 40 + "\n")  # Separator
                else:
                    print(f"Warning: {file} does not exist and will be skipped.")
        
        print(f"Contents of {len(file_list)} files copied to '{destination_file}'.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")

# List of 10 files to be merged
files_to_merge = [f"file{i}.txt" for i in range(1, 11)]  # Example: file1.txt to file10.txt

# Destination file
output_file = "merged_output.txt"

# Call the function to merge files
merge_files(files_to_merge, output_file)

Output (Example Scenario):

Assume we have 3 sample files (file1.txt, file2.txt, file3.txt) with the following content:

file1.txt

Hello from file 1.
This is some sample text.

file2.txt

This is file 2.
It has multiple lines of text.

file3.txt

File 3 contains important data.

After running the script, merged_output.txt will contain:

File: file1.txt
Hello from file 1.
This is some sample text.
----------------------------------------
File: file2.txt
This is file 2.
It has multiple lines of text.
----------------------------------------
File: file3.txt
File 3 contains important data.
----------------------------------------

If any file is missing, the script will display a warning.

Code Explanation:

1. Opening the Destination File:
   • with open(destination_file, 'w') as dest opens the target file in write mode.
2. Iterating Through File List:
   • A list of filenames (files_to_merge) is passed to the function.
   • The loop iterates through each filename.
3. Checking File Existence:
   • os.path.exists(file) ensures that only existing files are processed.
   • If a file is missing, a warning is displayed.
4. Writing File Name & Content:
   • dest.write(f"File: {file}\n") writes the filename to distinguish sections.
   • dest.write(src.read()) copies the content of the file.
   • A separator ("-" * 40 + "\n") is added for clarity.
5. Handling Exceptions:
   • A try-except block ensures that any unexpected errors are caught and displayed.

This approach efficiently merges multiple files into one, preserving both filenames and content. It can be adapted for different file types or extended for batch processing tasks.