How to Extract File Extensions in Python: Using os.path.splitext

Extracting File Extensions in Python: A Comprehensive Solution

When working with filenames, it's often necessary to extract the file extension for various tasks. In Python, there's a powerful function that can do just that: os.path.splitext.

Function Overview: os.path.splitext

The os.path.splitext function takes a filename as input and returns a 2-tuple containing:

1. Base File Name: The filename without the extension
2. Extension: The filename extension, including the period (.)

Usage:

To extract the extension from a filename, simply use:

import os
filename, file_extension = os.path.splitext(filename)

Examples:

>>> import os
>>> filename, file_extension = os.path.splitext('/path/to/somefile.ext')
>>> filename
'/path/to/somefile'
>>> file_extension
'.ext'

Handling Special Cases:

os.path.splitext handles filenames with no extensions or multiple periods correctly. For example:

>>> os.path.splitext('/a/b.c/d')
('/a/b.c/d', '')
>>> os.path.splitext('.bashrc')
('.bashrc', '')

Difference from Manual String Splitting:

Unlike manual string splitting, os.path.splitext treats filenames with multiple periods correctly. It will correctly identify the extension for filenames like /a/b.c/d (extension: '') and .bashrc (extension: '').

In conclusion, os.path.splitext is the preferred method for extracting file extensions in Python due to its simplicity and handling of special cases.

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