A python function which converts file to base64 string.

file_to_base64.py

def file_to_base64(file_path):
    """
    A simple function which accepts the file_path and 
    converts and returns base64 string if specified file
    exists. Returns blank string '' if file is not found.
    """
    from os import path
    if not path.exists(file_path):
        return ''    
    return open(file_path, 'rb').read().encode('base64')