Python | os.path.getatime() method

OS module in Python provides functions for interacting with the operating system. OS comes under Python’s standard utility modules. This module provides a portable way of using operating system dependent functionality. os.path module is sub module of OS module in Python used for common path name manipulation. os.path.getatime() method in Python is used to get the time of last access of the specified path. This method returns a floating point value which represents the number of seconds since the epoch. This method raise OSError if the file does not exist or is somehow inaccessible. Note: The epoch represents the point where the time starts. It is platform dependent. For Unix, the epoch is January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 (UTC).

Syntax: os.path.getatime(path) Parameter: path: A path-like object representing a file system path. A path-like object is either a string or bytes object representing a path. Return Type: This method returns a floating-point value of class 'float' that represents the time (in seconds) of last access of the specified path.

Code #1: Use of os.path.getatime() method Python3

# Python program to explain os.path.getatime() method 
  
# importing os and time module 
import os
import time
# Path
path = '/home/User/Documents/file.txt'
# Get the time of last
# access of the specified
# path since the epoch
access_time = os.path.getatime(path)
print("Last access time since the epoch:", access_time)
# convert the time in
# seconds since epoch
# to local time
local_time = time.ctime(access_time)
print("Last access time(Local time):", local_time)

Code #2: Handling error while using os.path.getatime() method Python3

# Python program to explain os.path.getatime() method 
  
# importing os, time and sys module 
import os
import sys
import time
# Path
path = '/home/User/Documents/file2.txt'
# Get the time of last
# access of the specified
# path since the epoch
try:
    access_time = os.path.getatime(path)
    print("Last access time since the epoch:", access_time)
except OSError:
    print("Path '%s' does not exists or is inaccessible" %path)
    sys.exit()
# convert the time in
# seconds since epoch
# to local time
local_time = time.ctime(access_time)
print("Last access time(Local time):", local_time)
# above code will print
# 'File does not exists or is inaccessible'
# if the specified path does not
# exists or is inaccessible
 

Reference: https://docs.python.org/3/library/os.path.html