Addressing FileNotFoundError: Tackling the "No Such File or Directory" Issue

The FileNotFoundError, characterized by the infamous "[Errno 2] No such file or directory" message, can be a common stumbling block when working with files in Python. To resolve this, let's embark on an exploration of absolute and relative paths.

In your provided code snippet, you are likely encountering the error because the address.csv file is not located in the current working directory (CWD). The CWD is the directory from which you are running your script or executing Python commands.

Relative and Absolute Paths

When specifying a file path, you can use either a relative path or an absolute path. A relative path is relative to the CWD, while an absolute path specifies the file's exact location in the file system.

For instance, if address.csv is in the same directory as your script, you can use a relative path like 'address.csv'. However, if the file is located in another directory, you will need to specify the path relative to the CWD, e.g., 'directory/subdirectory/address.csv'.

Using an Absolute Path

To ensure that Python can locate the file, you can use an absolute path, which starts with the root directory of your file system, followed by the path to the file. An absolute path looks like:

/Users/foo/address.csv

This path explicitly tells Python where address.csv is located, regardless of the CWD.

To further illustrate, you can use the following code to print the CWD and the files in it:

import os

cwd = os.getcwd()  # Get the current working directory
files = os.listdir(cwd)  # Get all the files in that directory
print("Files in %r: %s" % (cwd, files))

By inspecting the output of this code, you can verify if address.csv is indeed in the CWD.

By employing an absolute path or ensuring that the file is in the CWD, you can successfully resolve the FileNotFoundError and continue seamlessly with your Python program.