Merging Files with Metadata and Timestamp

In this advanced Python example, we will merge multiple text files into a single file while also including additional metadata such as:

• File name
• File size
• Last modified timestamp
• File content

This can be useful for log management, report consolidation, or data processing tasks where tracking file information is essential.

Code Example:

import os
import datetime

# Function to merge multiple files with metadata
def merge_files_with_metadata(file_list, destination_file):
    try:
        with open(destination_file, 'w') as dest:
            for file in file_list:
                if os.path.exists(file):  # Check if file exists
                    file_size = os.path.getsize(file)  # Get file size in bytes
                    last_modified = os.path.getmtime(file)  # Get last modified timestamp
                    timestamp = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(last_modified).strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S')

                    # Write metadata to the output file
                    dest.write(f"File Name: {file}\n")
                    dest.write(f"File Size: {file_size} bytes\n")
                    dest.write(f"Last Modified: {timestamp}\n")
                    dest.write("-" * 50 + "\n")

                    # Read and write the content of the file
                    with open(file, 'r') as src:
                        dest.write(src.read())
                        dest.write("\n" + "=" * 50 + "\n\n")  # Add 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}' with metadata.")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")

# List of files to be merged
files_to_merge = [f"file{i}.txt" for i in range(1, 6)]  # Example: file1.txt to file5.txt

# Destination file
output_file = "merged_output_with_metadata.txt"

# Call the function to merge files with metadata
merge_files_with_metadata(files_to_merge, output_file)

Expected Output (Example Scenario):

If we have three sample files (file1.txt, file2.txt, file3.txt) with the following metadata:

• file1.txt: 1024 bytes, last modified 2025-03-15 10:30:00
• file2.txt: 2048 bytes, last modified 2025-03-16 14:45:00
• file3.txt: 512 bytes, last modified 2025-03-16 16:00:00

After running the script, merged_output_with_metadata.txt will contain:

File Name: file1.txt
File Size: 1024 bytes
Last Modified: 2025-03-15 10:30:00
--------------------------------------------------
[File 1 content goes here]
==================================================

File Name: file2.txt
File Size: 2048 bytes
Last Modified: 2025-03-16 14:45:00
--------------------------------------------------
[File 2 content goes here]
==================================================

File Name: file3.txt
File Size: 512 bytes
Last Modified: 2025-03-16 16:00:00
--------------------------------------------------
[File 3 content goes here]
==================================================

Code Explanation:

1. Opening the Destination File:
   • The script opens the destination file in write mode ('w') to ensure data is written from scratch.
2. Iterating Through File List:
   • It loops through a list of files and checks if they exist using os.path.exists(file).
   • If a file does not exist, a warning is printed, and the script continues.
3. Retrieving File Metadata:
   • os.path.getsize(file): Retrieves the file size in bytes.
   • os.path.getmtime(file): Retrieves the last modified timestamp (converted to a readable format using datetime).
4. Writing Metadata & File Content:
   • The metadata (file name, size, timestamp) is written first.
   • The actual file content is read and appended.
   • A separator ("-" * 50 and "=" * 50") is added for better readability.
5. Error Handling:
   • If any unexpected error occurs, the script catches it and prints an appropriate message.

Why Use This Approach?

✅ Preserves file metadata (size & last modified time).
✅ Handles missing files gracefully (skips and warns).
✅ Enhances readability by separating content and metadata.
✅ Scalable for large file lists (handles multiple files efficiently).

This script is particularly useful for log file consolidation, backup reports, or automated data management systems! 🚀