import local file to google colab

Question

I don't understand how colab works with directories, I created a notebook, and colab put it in /Google Drive/Colab Notebooks.

Now I need to import a file (data.py) where I have a bunch of functions I need. Intuition tells me to put the file in that same directory and import it with:

import data

but apparently that's not the way...

I also tried adding the directory to the set of paths but I am specifying the directory incorrectly..

Can anyone help with this?

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Colab notebooks are stored on Google Drive. But it is run on another virtual machine. So, you need to copy your data.py there too. Do this to upload data.py through Colab.

from google.colab import files
files.upload()
# choose the file on your computer to upload it then
import data

Answer 2

Now google is officially providing support for accessing and working with Gdrive at ease.

You can use the below code to mount your drive to Colab:

from google.colab import drive
drive.mount('/gdrive')
%cd /gdrive/My\ Drive/{location you want to move}

Answer 3

To easily upload a local file you can use the new Google Colab feature:

• click on right arrow on the left of your screen (below the Google Colab logo)
• select Files tab
• click Upload button

It will open a popup to choose file to upload from your local filesystem.