Using filepaths as global variables in Python - python-3.x

Question

I have a file global_vars.py that contains file paths saved as variables:
from pandas import Timestamp
final_vol_path = 'datasets/final_vols.csv'
final_price_path = 'datasets/final_prices.csv'
final_start_date = Timestamp('2017-01-01')
with other variables written in a similar fashion. However, the functions that I'm using to read in the data throw a FileNotFoundError when attempting to do the following in file1.py:
import scripts.global_vars as gv
read_data(gv.final_vol_path, gv.final_price_path) # throws FileNotFoundError
read_data('datasets/final_vols.csv', 'datasets/final_prices.csv') # this passes
Additionally, I've checked the file paths, and have gotten the following:
gv.final_vol_path == 'datasets/final_vols.csv' # returns True
gv.final_price_path == 'datasets/final_prices.csv' # returns True
Moreover, the pandas Timestamp object is processed without any problems.
Is there any explanation for why the FileNotFoundError is being thrown when attempting to access the file path as a variable from global_vars.py, but is not thrown when the actual string is passed in?
EDIT: The overall directory structure is as follows:
working_dir
L file1.py
L scripts
L global_vars.py
L datasets
L final_vols.csv
L final_prices.csv
EDIT 2: I added in a try-catch block to ensure the rest of the function doesn't break, not sure if that has affected the traceback, but here's what I get:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\runpy.py", line
184, in _run_module_as_main
"__main__", mod_spec)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\runpy.py", line 85, in _run_code
exec(code, run_globals)
File "C:\Users\Ananth\Anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\Scripts\nose2.exe\__main__.py", line 9, in <module>
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\main.py", line 306, in discover
return main(*args, **kwargs)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\main.py", line 100, in __init__
super(PluggableTestProgram, self).__init__(**kw)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\unittest\main.py", line 93, in __init__
self.parseArgs(argv)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\main.py", line 133, in parseArgs
self.createTests()
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\main.py", line 258, in createTests
self.testNames, self.module)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\loader.py", line 69, in loadTestsFromNames
for name in event.names]
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\loader.py", line 69, in <listcomp>
for name in event.names]
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\loader.py", line 84, in loadTestsFromName
result = self.session.hooks.loadTestsFromName(event)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\events.py", line 224, in __call__
result = getattr(plugin, self.method)(event)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\plugins\loader\testcases.py", line 56, in loadTestsFromName
result = util.test_from_name(name, module)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\util.py", line 106, in test_from_name
parent, obj = object_from_name(name, module)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\nose2\util.py", line 117, in object_from_name
module = __import__('.'.join(parts_copy))
File "C:\Users\Ananth\Desktop\Modules\PortfolioVARModule\tests\test_simulation.py", line 24, in <module>
gv.test_start_date)
File "C:\Users\Ananth\Desktop\Modules\PortfolioVARModule\scripts\prep_data.py", line 119, in read_data
priceDF = pd.read_csv(pricepath).dropna()
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\pandas\io\parsers.py", line 646, in parser_f
return _read(filepath_or_buffer, kwds)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\pandas\io\parsers.py", line 389, in _read
parser = TextFileReader(filepath_or_buffer, **kwds)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\pandas\io\parsers.py", line 730, in __init__
self._make_engine(self.engine)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\pandas\io\parsers.py", line 923, in _make_engine
self._engine = CParserWrapper(self.f, **self.options)
File "c:\users\ananth\anaconda3\envs\analytics-cpu\lib\site-packages\pandas\io\parsers.py", line 1390, in __init__
self._reader = _parser.TextReader(src, **kwds)
File "pandas\parser.pyx", line 373, in pandas.parser.TextReader.__cinit__ (pandas\parser.c:4184)
File "pandas\parser.pyx", line 667, in pandas.parser.TextReader._setup_parser_source (pandas\parser.c:8449)
FileNotFoundError: File b'datasets/corn_price.csv' does not exist

Answer 1

Problem is the addition of the letter b in front of your file's path.
You get the b because you encoded to utf-8.
Try:
read_data(str(gv.final_vol_path,'utf-8'), str(gv.final_price_path, 'utf-8'))