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How to decompress a file in Python

How to decompress a file in Python.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to decompress a file in Python:

Step 1: Import the necessary libraries​

To decompress a file in Python, you will need to import the gzip or zipfile module, depending on the type of compression used.

If the file is in gzip format, use the gzip module:

import gzip

If the file is in zip format, use the zipfile module:

import zipfile

Step 2: Open the compressed file​

To start decompressing the file, you need to open it using the appropriate library.

If the file is in gzip format, use the gzip module's open() function:

with gzip.open('compressed_file.gz', 'rb') as file:
    # Decompression code goes here

If the file is in zip format, use the zipfile module's ZipFile() class:

with zipfile.ZipFile('compressed_file.zip', 'r') as file:
    # Decompression code goes here

Make sure to replace 'compressed_file.gz' or 'compressed_file.zip' with the actual path to your compressed file.

Step 3: Extract the compressed file(s)​

Once the compressed file is open, you can extract its contents.

If the file is in gzip format, you can simply read the contents using the read() method:

decompressed_data = file.read()

If the file is in zip format, you can use the extractall() method to extract all files in the archive:

file.extractall()

Alternatively, you can extract specific files using the extract() method:

file.extract('file_to_extract.txt')

Replace 'file_to_extract.txt' with the name of the file you want to extract.

Step 4: Save the decompressed file(s)​

After extracting the compressed file(s), you need to save them to your desired location.

If the file is in gzip format, you can write the decompressed data to a new file:

with open('decompressed_file.txt', 'wb') as output_file:
    output_file.write(decompressed_data)

Replace 'decompressed_file.txt' with the name and path of the output file.

If the file is in zip format, the extracted files will be saved in the current working directory.

Step 5: Complete the decompression process​

Finally, close the compressed file to complete the decompression process.

If the file is in gzip format, you don't need to do anything else.

If the file is in zip format, you can simply close the ZipFile object:

file.close()

That's it! You have successfully decompressed a file in Python. Remember to handle any exceptions that may occur during the decompression process to ensure your code is robust.