Python os.sep – Create Operating System Path Seperator Character

In Python, when working with files and directories, paths are integral to being able to access what you want to access. To create separators which will work for any operating system, you can use the Python os module sep property.

os.sep returns ‘/’ for POSIX and ‘\\’ for Windows.

import os

print(os.sep)

#Output:
'\\'

When working with paths, files and directories in Python, the ability to be able to create code which will work on any operating system is important.

The Python os module has many great functions which help us interact with the operating system of our computer.

One such situation is if you want to build paths which will work on any operating system.

To create separators which will work for any operating system, you can use the Python os module sep property.

os.sep returns ‘/’ for POSIX and ‘\\’ for Windows.

import os

print(os.sep)

#Output:
'\\'

For example, if you want to build a path which looks something like “path/to/file”, you can do the following:

import os

path = "path" + os.sep + "to" + os.sep + "file"

print(path)

#Output:
path\to\file

Using this code will work if you have to run it on a different operating system.

One thing to note though is there are better ways you can do the above which will make it easier to maintain and debug.

Using os.path.join() to Build Paths in Python

Another way to build paths in Python is with the os.path.join() function. os.path.join() will join strings together and create a path which will work on any operating system.

os.path.join() is arguably easier to read and also easier to maintain than using os.sepos.path.join() to create a path to a file in Python.

import os

path = os.path.join("path","to","file")

print(path)

#Output:
path\to\file