Compress and Timestamp Files into Zip

This function compresses a list of files into a zip file and saves it in the specified folder. The file name includes a timestamp for distinction.

Technology Stack : os, zipfile, datetime

Code Type : File compression

Code Difficulty : Intermediate

                
                    
def zipfiles(file_list, output_folder):
    """
    Compress multiple files into a zip file in a given folder.
    """
    import os
    import zipfile
    from datetime import datetime

    # Ensure output folder exists
    if not os.path.exists(output_folder):
        os.makedirs(output_folder)

    # Create a timestamp for the zip file name
    timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d%H%M%S")
    zip_filename = f"{output_folder}/files_{timestamp}.zip"

    # Create a zip file and add files to it
    with zipfile.ZipFile(zip_filename, 'w') as zipf:
        for file in file_list:
            zipf.write(file, arcname=os.path.basename(file))

    return zip_filename