Category: What I Learned

In a recent post I gave a programmatic solution to how to get Python to write files in the same folder as the Python file itself when working in VS Code. By default, Python programs in VS Code write files in the root folder of the project, not in the folder where the Python file is saved.

My solution involved the use of a built-in variable named “__file__“, which together with some fancy path concatenation, achieved what I was hoping for.

Introduction

Have you ever been frustrated because your Python programs in VS Code always save in the root folder of your GitHub project, even if the program is in a subfolder? You’re not alone. I’ve encountered this problem too, and I couldn’t find a solution within VS Code’s settings.

Solution

The solution is within Python itself.

Python has a built-in variable called __file__ that refers to the path of the current Python file. By using this with os.path.join(), you can ensure that your file will be saved in the same directory as your program, not in the root folder.

The os.path.join() function in Python is a smart way to stick together pieces of a file path. It knows how to correctly use the right kind of slash (/ or \) depending on your computer’s operating system. So, if you have a folder named “folder” and a file named “file.txt”, os.path.join("folder", "file.txt") will give you the correct full path: “folder/file.txt”. It’s a handy tool for dealing with file paths in Python.