How to write a file to the desktop in python?

Question

When I make this code into an executable the function of writing a file works, but it writes to a random directory. I'm not sure how to get it to write to my desktop, like it did when it was a regular python file.

Here is my code,

def write(): print('Creating a new file') name = raw_input('Enter a name for your file: ')+'.txt' # Name of text file coerced with +.txt try: file = open(name,'w') # Trying to create a new file or open one file.close() except: print('Something went wrong! Cannot tell what?') sys.exit(0) # quit Python

Python will write to the current directory if not otherwise specified. — user3196284
– user3196284, Commented Feb 15, 2016 at 17:50
"Desktop" depends on your operating system and/or window manager. — chepner
– chepner, Commented Feb 15, 2016 at 17:55

idjaw · Accepted Answer · 2016-02-15 17:43:53Z

You need to specify the path you want to save to. Furthermore, make use of os.path.join (documentation) to put the path and filename together. You can do something like this:

from os.path import join def write(): print('Creating a new file') path = "this/is/a/path/you/want/to/save/to" name = raw_input('Enter a name for your file: ')+'.txt' # Name of text file coerced with +.txt try: file = open(join(path, name),'w') # Trying to create a new file or open one file.close() except: print('Something went wrong! Cannot tell what?') sys.exit(0) # quit Python

@ZacharyChiodini - I stuck with the OP's original code which already has that try/except. As to the point? it depends. In this case it seems like the application wants to fail on any exception that could raise and just give a "generic" output to the user. Whether it is helpful or not is a different discussion. Similarly, one can ask why not have a more narrow exception (e.g. only catch OSError) and provide more context in the message? Or if still using a broad exception, why not analyze the exception object that is raised and output more context to the user?

Mad Wombat · Accepted Answer · 2016-02-15 17:44:03Z

It is not writing into a random directory. It is writing into current directory, that is the directory you run it from. If you want it to write to a particular directory like your desktop you either need to add the path to the file name or switch the current directory. The first is done with

 name = os.path.join('C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop', name)

the second is done with

 os.chdir('C:\Users\YourUser\Desktop')

Or whatever the path to your desktop is.

You might also want to check if the user already appended path information to the file name in the input, like what if someone enters "C:\Windows\System32\rundll.exe" at the prompt.

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