watchdog: React to Files Without Polling
Replace inefficient polling with watchdog to listen for file system events, enabling reactive automation that acts on changes instantly.
True Automation Decides and Reacts
Basic scripts that run on schedules—like renaming files or sending 9 AM emails—aren't real automation; they're timers needing constant oversight. Effective automation lets systems decide actions based on events, reducing manual intervention through reactive delegation.
Watchdog Listens for File Events
Polling directories every few seconds wastes resources and misses quick changes. Watchdog uses OS-level event monitoring to detect file creations, modifications, or deletions in real-time.
Install with pip install watchdog. Core usage:
from watchdog.observers import Observer
from watchdog.events import FileSystemEventHandler
import time
class Handler(FileSystemEventHandler):
def on_created(self, event):
print(f"New file detected: {event.src_path}")
observer = Observer()
# Schedule observer (code cuts off here)
This triggers handlers only on actual events, making scripts efficient for tasks like processing new uploads or syncing folders without busy-waiting.