Searching Text in Multiple Files in Python

In this blog, we will search some text or string in the multiple files.

Write text which you want to search

text = input("Please enter text: ")

Please enter text: machine

print(f"You have entered \"{text}\" word to search.")

You have entered "machine" word to search.

Get the current directory

OS module in Python provides functions for interacting with the operating system. OS, comes under Python’s standard utility modules. This module provides a portable way of using operating system dependent functionality.

import os

Get the current working directory

current_path = os.getcwd()
current_path

'E:\\jupyter-notebook-workspace'

Declare the path, in which you want to search text

path = 'G:/data/input'
path

'G:/data/input'

Create a function and list the directory

Create a function and change the directory in which you want to search text. After that list the directory and print the files.

os.chdir(path) - Change the current working directory to specified path.

os.listdir(path='.')

Return a list containing the names of the entries in the directory given by path. The list is in arbitrary order, and does not include the special entries '.' and '..' even if they are present in the directory. If a file is removed from or added to the directory during the call of this function, whether a name for that file be included is unspecified.

def searchText(path):
    
    os.chdir(path)
    files = os.listdir()
    print(files)
    pass

searchText(path)

['001-001-intent-recognition-with-bert.ipynb', '002-001-deploy-machine-learning-model-with-flask-on-heroku.ipynb', 'add-signup-form-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-7.ipynb', 'build-the-neural-network-with-pytorch.ipynb', 'call-graphql-api-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-5.ipynb', 'capture-date-phone-and-email-from-text-with-regular-expression-in-python.ipynb', 'classify-images-of-clothing-with-neural network.ipynb', 'color-and-shape.ipynb', 'samples']

We got the list of files and folders.

Print each files from the listed directory

def searchText(path):
    
    os.chdir(path)
    files = os.listdir()
    #print(files)
    for file_name in files:
        print(file_name)
    pass

searchText(path)

001-001-intent-recognition-with-bert.ipynb
002-001-deploy-machine-learning-model-with-flask-on-heroku.ipynb
add-signup-form-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-7.ipynb
build-the-neural-network-with-pytorch.ipynb
call-graphql-api-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-5.ipynb
capture-date-phone-and-email-from-text-with-regular-expression-in-python.ipynb
classify-images-of-clothing-with-neural network.ipynb
color-and-shape.ipynb
samples

Get the absolute path of the file name

def searchText(path):
    
    os.chdir(path)
    files = os.listdir()
    #print(files)
    for file_name in files:
        #print(file_name)
        
        abs_path = os.path.abspath(file_name)
        print("Absolute path of the file:", abs_path)
    
    pass

searchText(path)

Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\001-001-intent-recognition-with-bert.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\002-001-deploy-machine-learning-model-with-flask-on-heroku.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\add-signup-form-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-7.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\build-the-neural-network-with-pytorch.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\call-graphql-api-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-5.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\capture-date-phone-and-email-from-text-with-regular-expression-in-python.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\classify-images-of-clothing-with-neural network.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\color-and-shape.ipynb
Absolute path of the file: G:\data\input\samples

You can see, we have samples folder. In that folder also, we have to list the files. For that we need to do recursive search.

If it is directory, search inside that

def searchText(path):
    
    os.chdir(path)
    files = os.listdir()
    #print(files)
    for file_name in files:
        #print(file_name)
        abs_path = os.path.abspath(file_name)
        print("Absolute path of the file: ", abs_path)
        
        if os.path.isdir(abs_path):
            searchText(abs_path)

    pass

searchText(path)

Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\001-001-intent-recognition-with-bert.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\002-001-deploy-machine-learning-model-with-flask-on-heroku.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\add-signup-form-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-7.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\build-the-neural-network-with-pytorch.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\call-graphql-api-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-5.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\capture-date-phone-and-email-from-text-with-regular-expression-in-python.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\classify-images-of-clothing-with-neural network.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\color-and-shape.ipynb
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\samples
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\samples\alice-in-wonderland.txt
Absolute path of the file:  G:\data\input\samples\ramayana.txt

Open each file, read and search the text

def searchText(path):
    
    os.chdir(path)
    files = os.listdir()
    #print(files)
    for file_name in files:
        #print(file_name)
        abs_path = os.path.abspath(file_name)
        
        if os.path.isdir(abs_path):
            searchText(abs_path)
            
        if os.path.isfile(abs_path):
             with open(file_name, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
                if text in f.read():
                    final_path = os.path.abspath(file_name)
                    print(text + " word found in this path " + final_path)
                else:
                    print("No match found in " + abs_path)
    pass

searchText(path)

No match found in G:\data\input\001-001-intent-recognition-with-bert.ipynb
machine word found in this path G:\data\input\002-001-deploy-machine-learning-model-with-flask-on-heroku.ipynb
No match found in G:\data\input\add-signup-form-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-7.ipynb
No match found in G:\data\input\build-the-neural-network-with-pytorch.ipynb
machine word found in this path G:\data\input\call-graphql-api-in-react-native-mobile-app-part-5.ipynb
No match found in G:\data\input\capture-date-phone-and-email-from-text-with-regular-expression-in-python.ipynb
machine word found in this path G:\data\input\classify-images-of-clothing-with-neural network.ipynb
No match found in G:\data\input\color-and-shape.ipynb
No match found in G:\data\input\samples\alice-in-wonderland.txt
No match found in G:\data\input\samples\ramayana.txt