stupid question about os.listdir

[Jason Kratz]

Peter Hansen wrote:
> Jason Kratz wrote:
> 
>>def getdirs(path):
>>     os.chdir(path)
>>     for entry in os.listdir(path):
>>         if os.path.isdir(entry):
>>             dirs.append(entry)
>>
>>if I run this from the command line on linux with 'python backup.py' it
>>works *if* I have os.chdir in there.  if I comment it out it doesnt list
>>starting from the root dir...it starts in my home dir.
> 
> 
> This might mean you are not passing it an absolute path, but 
> instead a relative one.  Absolute paths (on Linux) are those
> which start with a / (forward slash).  Anything without that
> will start from the current directory only.
> 
> But without actual examples of which paths are failing, as
> Ben has asked for, we know nothing for certain.
> 
> Is it also possible that you are not having a problem with listdir()
> at all, but with the values you are passing to os.path.isdir()?
> You realize that os.listdir() returns names that are *relative*
> to the path parameter you give it?  So that if you then pass those
> to isdir() you will get nothing useful if you don't first do
> this instead? :
> 
>   entry = os.path.join(path, entry)
>   if os.path.isdir(entry):
>      dirs.append(entry)
> 
> -Peter

Peter-

Thanks much for the reply.  You are completely correct and I managed to 
work thru it myself (just finished right before I read your posting) and 
I actually had the exact code (aside from using a new var instead of 
reusing entry) you have just above (with the join).  Was going to post 
it and find out if that was the "correct" way of doing it ;)

This is my code:

import os
import os.path

def getdirs(path):
     dirs=[]

     for entry in os.listdir(path):
         fullpath=os.path.join(path,entry)
         if os.path.isdir(fullpath):
             dirs.append(fullpath)
     return dirs

print getdirs('/')