T. Crane wrote: > myFile = file('test.txt','w') > > Here I'm opening/creating a file but I have not specified the exact path, so > how does Python determine where to 'put' this file? More to the point, how > do I change what the default path is? Right now it's a networked drive that > should not be getting my Python clutter.
Python doesn't choose anything. Whatever your Operating System deems the current drive when you start Python is the one which will contain any other unqualified files. You can find out what it is by running a script which just does: import os print os.getcwd () and you can change it by doing this: import os os.chdir ("new-path-of-my-choosing") > Interestingly, this network drive is also where I can find my _ipython > folder from my ipython install as well as my .matplotlib folder. Can anyone > tell me how to change where these folders and files go by default? Different question. (And, I'm afraid, a more complicated one). You haven't said, but I'm going to guess you're running on Windows, not least because any *nix setup I know of will place the user in a well-known "Home" directory (typically /home/username). The trouble is that applications like ipython, and maybe matplotlib, were developed under *nix where you can rely on getting hold of a user's "Home" directory either by expanding the "~" shell variable -- or whatever it's called -- or by examining the HOME shell variable. Windows doesn't traditionally have either of these things, and has over the years had several locations with legitimate claim to be "Home". Python's own os.expanduser, for example, uses this approach: """ On Windows, only "~" is supported; it is replaced by the environment variable HOME or by a combination of HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH """ I think IPython now uses expandvar. Maybe it always did; I've an idea its current behaviour was a more recent addition to Python under Windows. But IPython used to fall back to C:\ if it couldn't do anything else. Don't know about matplotlib. You'll need to check the docs (or the source). TJG -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list