Python watchdog documentation

Mason 124 Published: 06/22/2024

Python watchdog documentation

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The Python Watchdog is a cross-platform monitoring system that can monitor files and directories for modifications, deletions, and creations. It provides a simple way to track file system events and perform actions based on those events.

Here are some key features of the Python Watchdog:

Platform-independent: The Python Watchdog runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms without requiring any additional software or setup. Real-time monitoring: The watchdog can monitor files and directories in real-time, detecting changes as soon as they occur. Event detection: It detects various file system events such as: Modifications: Changes to existing files or directories. Deletions: Files or directories being deleted. Creations: New files or directories being created. Actions on events: The watchdog allows you to specify custom actions when certain events occur. For example, you can run a script, send an email, or execute a command when a file is modified or created. Configuration: The Python Watchdog provides a flexible configuration system that lets you customize its behavior and set event handlers for specific files or directories.

Here's a basic example of how to use the Python Watchdog:

import watchdog.observers
Create a directory monitor

observer = watchdog.observers.Observer()

observer.schedule(watchdog.events.FileSystemEventHandler())

Start monitoring

observer.start()

Wait forever

while True:

time.sleep(1)

This code creates a directory monitor that watches for file system events in the current working directory. You can customize this example to suit your needs by specifying event handlers and configuring the observer's behavior.

The Python Watchdog provides a robust and reliable way to detect file system changes and perform actions based on those changes. It's an excellent tool for automating tasks, monitoring files, or reacting to changes in your file system.

Python watchdog download

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Python Watchdog is a powerful tool for monitoring and responding to events in your file system, allowing you to automate tasks and create custom workflows. It's an open-source library that provides a simple way to watch directories and files for changes, making it ideal for applications like log processing, backup and recovery, and data integration.

Installing Watchdog

To get started with Python Watchdog, you'll need to install the library itself. You can do this using pip:

pip install watchdog

This will download and install the latest version of Watchdog and its dependencies.

Basic Usage

Once installed, you can start using Watchdog in your Python scripts. Here's a basic example of how to use it:

import time

from watchdog.observers import Observer

from watchdog.events import FileSystemEventHandler

class MyHandler(FileSystemEventHandler):

def on_modified(self, event):

if event.is_directory:

print("Directory Modified:", event.src_path)

else:

print("File Modified:", event.src_path)

if name == "main":

path = "."

event_handler = MyHandler()

observer = Observer(path, event_handler)

observer.start()

try:

while True:

time.sleep(1)

except KeyboardInterrupt:

observer.stop()

observer.join()

In this example, we define a custom MyHandler class that inherits from FileSystemEventHandler. This class contains an on_modified method that gets called whenever the file system is modified. In this method, we print out information about which directory or file was modified.

We then create an instance of our event handler and pass it to the Observer constructor along with the path we want to watch.

Watching for Specific Events

Watchdog allows you to watch for specific events like file creation, modification, or deletion. You can customize the events your handler responds to by overriding the various methods in the FileSystemEventHandler class:

on_created(event): Called when a new file or directory is created. on_deleted(event): Called when a file or directory is deleted. on_moved(event): Called when a file or directory is moved or renamed.

Using Watchdog with Python Scripts

One of the most powerful features of Watchdog is its ability to integrate seamlessly with Python scripts. You can use Watchdog to automate tasks and create custom workflows that respond to specific events in your file system.

For example, you might use Watchdog to:

Automatically backup files or directories Monitor a directory for new files and send them to an email address Create a simple log processor that watches for log file modifications Automate data integration tasks between different systems

Conclusion

Python Watchdog is a powerful library that provides a simple way to watch your file system for changes. With its customizable event handlers, you can automate tasks and create custom workflows that respond to specific events in your file system.

In this example, we've seen how to use Watchdog to monitor the file system and print out information about which directory or file was modified. With Python Watchdog, the possibilities are endless!