Python tar script; no errors; no output

Applications Programming
1

This script produces no errors. It also does not produce an output file. Any ideas?

#!/usr/bin/python

import tarfile

output_filename = 'etc.tar'
source_dir = '/etc/'

#To build a .tar.gz for an entire directory tree:

def make_tarfile(output_filename, source_dir):
    with tarfile.open(output_filename, "w:gz") as tar:
        tar.add(source_dir, arcname=os.path.basename(source_dir))
2

Use code tags for code, not icode,

```text
stuff
```

or the button.

I am not the best with python(to put it mildly) but it looks like you're defining a subroutine and not calling it. Just defining those variables isn't the same.

make_tarfile('etc.tar', '/etc')
3

First, "with" will not work in this instance. GzipFile() does not support the __enter__() and __exit__() methods required to use "with".

You have to open the tar in regular fashion way.
Second, os.path.basename requires the import of sys

Perhaps a guide example:

#!/usr/bin/python

import tarfile
import sys

output_filename = 'etc.tar'
source_dir = '/etc/'

#To build a .tar.gz for an entire directory tree:

def make_tarfile(output_filename, source_dir):
    tar = tarfile.open(output_filename, "w:gz")
    try:
        tar.add(source_dir, arcname=os.path.basename(source_dir))
    finally:
        print 'finished'
        tar.close()

make_tarfile (output_filename, source_dir)

Not tested.