Python os.pathconf() Method

Description

The method pathconf() returns system configuration information relevant to a named file.

Syntax

Following is the syntax for pathconf() method

os.pathconf(path, name)

Parameters

• path -- This is the file path.

• name -- This specifies the configuration value to retrieve; it may be a string which is the name of a defined system value; these names are specified in a number of standards (POSIX.1, Unix 95, Unix 98, and others). The names known to the host operating system are given in the os.pathconf_names dictionary.

Return Value

This method returns system configuration information of a file.

Example

The following example shows the usage of pathconf() method.

#!/usr/bin/python

import os, sys

print "%s" % os.pathconf_names

# Retrieve maximum length of a filename
no = os.pathconf('a2.py', 'PC_NAME_MAX')
print "Maximum length of a filename :%d" % no

# Retrieve file size
no = os.pathconf('a2.py', 'PC_FILESIZEBITS') 
print "file size in bits  :%d" % no

Let us compile and run the above program, this will produce the following result:

{'PC_MAX_INPUT': 2, 'PC_VDISABLE': 8, 'PC_SYNC_IO': 9, 
'PC_SOCK_MAXBUF': 12, 'PC_NAME_MAX': 3, 'PC_MAX_CANON': 1, 
'PC_PRIO_IO': 11, 'PC_CHOWN_RESTRICTED': 6, 'PC_ASYNC_IO': 10, 
'PC_NO_TRUNC': 7, 'PC_FILESIZEBITS': 13, 'PC_LINK_MAX': 0, 
'PC_PIPE_BUF': 5, 'PC_PATH_MAX': 4}
 Maximum length of a filename :255
 file size in bits : 64