Steven D'Aprano <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > I want to rename a file, but only if the destination file name doesn't > already exist. > > I can do this: > > if os.path.exists(dest): > # skip file, raise an exception, make a backup... > do_something_else() > else: > os.rename(src, dest) > > > But on a multi-user system, it is possible that dest is created in the > time period between checking if it exists and attempting the rename. > > Is there any way to prevent this? Or do I just try to keep the check and > the rename as close together as possible, minimizing the chances and > hoping for the best? > > > -- > Steven.
The answer, unfortunately, depends on the platform. I haven't tried, but it looks like rename() will fail on Win32 if the file already exists. On Unix, you can use link to rename the file - which will not overwrite the file if it exists. Then use unlink to remove the src file. Chetan -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
