Python: os.remove is not working

Question

Why isn't os.remove(-string-) working for me? I have the code written as follows:

try:
os.remove(a)
    output = current_time() + "\trmv successful"
    message = message + '\n' + output
    message = "".join(message)
    return message

except OSError:
    try:
        os.removedirs(a)
        output = current_time() + "\trmv successful"
        message = message + '\n' + output
        message = "".join(message)
        return message

    except OSError:
        output = current_time() + "\trmv failed: [?]"
        message = message + '\n' + output
        message = "".join(message)
        return message

And it would return 21:32:53 rmv failed: [?] every time I perform the rmv command in the client. My Python version is 2.6.1 if that helps.

Answer 1

Exceptions are there to be looked at! Check this:

try:
    os.remove(a)
except OSError as e: # name the Exception `e`
    print "Failed with:", e.strerror # look what it says
    print "Error code:", e.code 

Modify your code to display the error message and you'll know why it failed. The docs can help you.

Answer 2

Why don't you try printing out the error?

try:
    os.remove(a)
    output = current_time() + "\trmv successful"
    message = message + '\n' + output
    message = "".join(message)
    return message

except OSError, e:
    print ("Failed to remove %s\nError is: %s" % (a,e))
    try:
        os.removedirs(a)
        output = current_time() + "\trmv successful"
        message = message + '\n' + output
        message = "".join(message)
        return message

    except OSError, e:
        print ("Failed twice to remove %s\nError is: %s" % (a,e))
        output = current_time() + "\trmv failed: [?]"
        message = message + '\n' + output
        message = "".join(message)
        return message

The error could be literally anything you see... A permissions issue for example?