Simple backup script

Question

I haven't done much Python in the past, so I was wondering if you could look over my code and make sure everything is up to snuff?

I know programs that do this exist already, but I am having a challenge with my friend on who can build a simple backup system for our college files.

I have run the code through Pylint and a PEP8 code checker, and fixed the errors it produced.

"""
Basic Python Backup
Nat Zimmermann
"""

# SETTINGS
TIME_FORMAT = '%d-%m-%Y-%H:%M:%S'
MAX_DIRS = 5

import shutil
from datetime import datetime
from os import walk


def get_dirs(dirs):
    """Get all immidiate directories in the current directory"""

    converted_dirs = []

    if len(dirs) > MAX_DIRS:
        test_dir = None

        for test_dir in dirs:
            try:
                app_dir = datetime.strptime(test_dir, TIME_FORMAT)
                converted_dirs.append(app_dir)

            except ValueError:
                print("Directory %s does not match date format, ignoring..."
                      % test_dir)

    return converted_dirs


def remove_dirs():
    """Remove the oldest directories"""

    dirs = walk('.').__next__()[1]
    converted_dirs = get_dirs(dirs)

    if converted_dirs:
        try:
            oldest_dir = datetime.strftime(min(converted_dirs), TIME_FORMAT)
            shutil.rmtree(oldest_dir)

            print("Removed old directory %s" % oldest_dir)

            remove_dirs()

        except IOError as error:
            print(error)


def copy_directory():
    """Copiy a given directory to a new directory with the current date"""

    old_directory = input("Directory to copy: ")
    new_directory = datetime.now().strftime(TIME_FORMAT)

    print("Copying...")

    try:
        shutil.copytree(old_directory, new_directory)
        print("Successfully copied files to directory %s" % new_directory)

    except IOError as error:
        print(error)
        copy_directory()

copy_directory()
remove_dirs()

Answer 1

Add following header for *nix users

#!/usr/bin/env python
# ~*~ codding: utf-8 ~*~

Not required variable definition

test_dir = None

Because of loop

for test_dir in dirs:

Use native generator insted

def get_dirs(dirs):
    """Get all immidiate directories in the current directory"""
    if not len(dirs) > MAX_DIRS:
        return []

    for test_dir in dirs:
        try:
            yield datetime.strptime(test_dir, TIME_FORMAT)
        except ValueError:
            print("Directory %s does not match date format, ignoring..."
                  % test_dir)

If you will use it like module, add

if __name__ == '__main__':
    copy_directory()
    remove_dirs()

IMHO: don't use direct input with input(), try parse command line instead using sys.argv or with help of some more powerful libraries.