PermissionError when attempting to open directory with zipfile and pathlib modules

Question

I'm trying to create a zip file using pathlib, but it's giving me a permission error. Look at the code:

from pathlib import Path
from zipfile import *
import os
from datetime import datetime

time = str(datetime.now())

day = int(time.split(' ')[0].split('-')[2])
month = int(time.split(' ')[0].split('-')[1])
year = int(time.split(' ')[0].split('-')[0])
hour = int(time.split(' ')[1].split(':')[0])
minute = int(time.split(' ')[1].split(':')[1])

filename = f"ilhadodede{day:02d}{month:02d}{year:04d}-{hour:02d}-{minute:02d}.zip"

print(f"{day}/{month}/{year}  {hour}:{minute}")
zipped = ZipFile(filename, "w", ZIP_DEFLATED)
print(Path(Path("world") / file))
for root, dirs, files in os.walk("world"):
    for file in files:
        zipped.write(os.path.join(root, file))

for f in zipped.infolist():
    print(f.filename)

This is the error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:/Users/dyeff/Documents/Server Ilha do Dedé/universal_backup.py", line 20, in <module>
    zipped.write(os.path.join(root, file))
  File "C:\Users\dyeff\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38\lib\zipfile.py", line 1776, in write
    shutil.copyfileobj(src, dest, 1024*8)
  File "C:\Users\dyeff\AppData\Local\Programs\Python\Python38\lib\shutil.py", line 202, in copyfileobj
    buf = fsrc_read(length)
PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied

This is the line that is throwing the error:

        zipped.write(os.path.join(root, file))

You need `os.path.join(root, file)` as `file` contains just the filename and will probably not be the correct path — alani, Jul 04 '20 at 16:28
@alaniwi So it's just to replace "Path(f"world/{file}")" by "os.path.join(root, file)"? — Dyefferson Azevedo, Jul 04 '20 at 16:34
@DyeffersonAzevedo have you had a look at my answer? Do let me know where you are with this issue — AzyCrw4282, Jul 06 '20 at 11:18

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 05 '20 at 11:40

Errors like this

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied

are a result of due to lack of permission to write/read from that directory.

To confirm that this is the cause of the error, you can try to create and save a file at that directory in which this command zipped.write(os.path.join(root, file)) would output to. If it's the case then you can look up on how to change directory permissions for the Operating System you are using, see here for Linux.

If you are using an IDE, you can try to open that in administrative mode and this will give running scripts full privilege to perform write operations.

score 0 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 06 '20 at 12:46

My problem was a file called session.lock. I made an if statement to ignore that file and the error "flew away".

It is a file from minecraft world files (this program is to backup a world automatically when I close my server) that stores the datetime from the last time the player entered the server, without that file (this file is for backup matters, so anything related to it is being treated in my own program right now) the game creates it automatically.

PermissionError when attempting to open directory with zipfile and pathlib modules

2 Answers2