{"id":27389,"library":"shadowcopy","title":"shadowcopy","description":"A simple Python library for creating shadow copies (snapshots) of files or directories on Windows using the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS). Current version 0.0.4, infrequent releases.","status":"active","version":"0.0.4","language":"python","source_language":"en","source_url":"https://pypi.org/project/shadowcopy/","tags":["windows","vss","shadow-copy","backup"],"install":[{"cmd":"pip install shadowcopy","lang":"bash","label":"Install"}],"dependencies":[],"imports":[{"note":"Common mistake: importing the module without the function leads to AttributeError.","wrong":"import shadowcopy","symbol":"create_shadow_copy","correct":"from shadowcopy import create_shadow_copy"}],"quickstart":{"code":"from shadowcopy import create_shadow_copy\n\n# Create a shadow copy of a directory\nresult = create_shadow_copy('C:\\\\path\\\\to\\\\folder')\nprint(result)  # e.g., '\\\\?\\GLOBALROOT\\Device\\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy1\\'","lang":"python","description":"Creates a VSS snapshot of a directory on Windows and returns the shadow copy path."},"warnings":[{"fix":"Use only on Windows, or wrap the call with platform checks.","message":"shadowcopy only works on Windows with VSS enabled. It will raise an error on Linux/macOS.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"all"},{"fix":"Copy or process the files immediately within a try-finally block.","message":"The shadow copy path is temporary and may be deleted automatically. Access it quickly after creation.","severity":"gotcha","affected_versions":"all"}],"env_vars":null,"last_verified":"2026-05-01T00:00:00.000Z","next_check":"2026-07-30T00:00:00.000Z","problems":[{"fix":"Run 'pip install --upgrade shadowcopy' and verify import with 'import shadowcopy; print(dir(shadowcopy))'.","cause":"Outdated version or incorrect installation. Library version 0.0.4 may not have the function if installed from a different source.","error":"ImportError: cannot import name 'create_shadow_copy' from 'shadowcopy'"},{"fix":"Double-check the path and ensure the directory exists.","cause":"The provided path does not exist or is inaccessible.","error":"OSError: [WinError 13] The system cannot find the path specified"}],"ecosystem":"pypi","meta_description":null,"install_score":null,"install_tag":null,"quickstart_score":null,"quickstart_tag":null}