Python Tutorials
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Overview

In Python, to delete a file, the OS module is imported, and the os.remove() function is used.

import os
os.remove("myfile.txt")

Output:

#The file is deleted from the system

Note

If the file does not already exist, an error will be thrown.

Check First if the File Exists

To avoid getting an error, first check if the file exists before trying to delete it.

import os
if os.path.exists("myfile.txt"):
    os.remove("myfile.txt")
else:
    print("The file does not exist and cannot be deleted.")

Output:

#The file is deleted from the system

Deleting an Entire Directory of Files

The os.rmdir() method is used to delete a directory.

import os
os.rmdir("mydirectory")

Output:

#The entire directory of files is deleted from the system

Python Notes:

  • The most recent major version of Python is Python 3; however, Python 2 is still in use and quite popular, although not being updated with anything other than security updates
  • Python uses new lines to complete a command, as opposed to other programming languages which often use semicolons or parentheses
  • Python relies on indentation, using whitespace to define scope, such as the scope of loops, functions, and classes; other programming languages often use curly-brackets for this purpose
  • Python string methods return new values, and DO NOT change the original string
  • Python tuples are unchangeable after created (their items CANNOT be changed or re-ordered at a later point)
  • Python sets are unordered (may appear in random orders when called), unchangeable (the value of individual items cannot be changed after creation), unindexed (items cannot be referred to by index or key), and duplicates are NOT ALLOWED
  • As of v3.7, Python dictionaries are ordered and duplicates ARE ALLOWED; in v3.6 and earlier, dictionaries were unordered (did not have a defined order and could not be referred to using an index)
  • Python does not have built-in support for arrays, but Python lists can be used as pseudo “arrays”; therefore, all Python list methods will work with these pseudo “arrays”
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We’d like to acknowledge that we learned a great deal of our coding from W3Schools and TutorialsPoint, borrowing heavily from their teaching process and excellent code examples. We highly recommend both sites to deepen your experience, and further your coding journey. We’re just hitting the basics here at 1SMARTchicken.