[FIXED] Problem importing csv files to pandas to avoid "IndexError: list index out of range"

Issue

I'm trying to learn python / pandas. I'm working through "Foundations for Analytics for Python' but have hit a wall

using

input_file = sys.argv[1]

gives result

File "C:\Users\longr\Desktop\pfile\1excel_introspect_workbook.py", line 11, in input_file = sys.argv[1] IndexError: list index out of range

In previous excercises replacing this call with

input_file = 'supplier_data.csv'

works... [for a csv file] I've used the source code from github - same error. All my files [.py / .xlsx / .csv] are together in C:\Users\longr\Desktop\pfile\ .... but I'm at a loss

Can anyone help please?

import sys
from xlrd import open_workbook

input_file = sys.argv[1]

workbook = open_workbook(input_file)
print('Number of worksheets:', workbook.nsheets)
for worksheet in workbook.sheets():
    print("Worksheet name:", worksheet.name, "\tRows:", worksheet.nrows, "t\Columns:", worksheet.ncols)

Solution

sys.argv[1] is the third input that you enter to run your script after the name of your python file. let's say your py script is named example.py then you will run it like

python example.py

but if you want to get the csv file as argv[1] then you need to run your script like

python example.py supplier_data.csv

now your argv[0] == example.py and argv[1] == supplier_data.csv as string type.

Answered By - Ehsan