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I want to run and kill a thread on a button press

I have a program that is supposed to send a few data points over a serial connection to an arduino which will control some motors to move. I can send the control signals individually as well as by txt file which will run repeatedly until the file is complete. While running a txt file, I want to be able to exit the loop like a pause or stop button. I think the best way to do that is via a thread that I can close. I have never done any threading before and my rudimentary attempts have not worked. Here is the function that sends the file data.
def send_file():
# Global vars
global moto1pos
global motor2pos
# Set Ready value
global isready
# Get File location
program_file_name = file_list.get('active')
file_path = "/home/evan/Documents/bar_text_files/"
program_file = Path(file_path + program_file_name)
file = open(program_file)
pos1 = []
pos2 = []
speed1 = []
speed2 = []
accel1 = []
accel2 = []
for each in file:
vals = each.split()
pos1.append(int(vals[0]))
pos2.append(int(vals[1]))
speed1.append(int(vals[2]))
speed2.append(int(vals[3]))
accel1.append(int(vals[4]))
accel2.append(int(vals[5]))
# Send file values
try:
while isready == 1:
for i in range(len(pos1)):
print("Step: " + str(i+1))
data = struct.pack("!llhhhh", pos1[i], pos2[i], speed1[i], speed2[i], accel1[i], accel2[i])
ser.write(data)
try:
pos1time = abs(pos1[i]/speed1[i])
except:
pos1time = 0
try:
pos2time = abs(pos2[i]/speed2[i])
except:
pos2time = 0
time_array = (pos1time, pos2time)
time.sleep(max(time_array))
motor1pos = ser.readline()
motor2pos = ser.readline()
if i < (len(pos1)-1):
isready = ord(ser.read(1))
else:
isready = 0
except:
print("Error: data not sent. Check serial port is open")
Here is the threading command which I want the sendfile command to work from.
def thread():
try:
global isready
isready = 1
t = threading.Thread(name='sending_data', target=command)
t.start()
except:
print("Threading Error: you don't know what you are doing")
And here is the stop function I want the thread to be killed by:
def stop():
try:
global isready
isready = 0
t.kill()
except:
print("Error: thread wasn't killed")
I know you aren't supposed to kill a thread but the data isn't very important. Whats more important is to stop the motors before something breaks.
The button in tkinter is:
run_file_butt = tk.Button(master = file_frame, text = "Run File", command = thread)
When I click the button, the program runs but the stop function does nothing to stop the motion.

Question: run and kill a thread on a button press
There is no such a thing called .kill(....
Start making your def send_file(... a Thread object which is waiting your commands.
Note: As it stands, your inner while isready == 1: will not stop by using m.set_state('stop').
It's mandatory to start the Thread object inside:
if __name__ == '__main__':
m = MotorControl()
import threading, time
class MotorControl(threading.Thread):
def __init__(self):
super().__init__()
self.state = {'is_alive'}
self.start()
def set_state(self, state):
if state == 'stop':
state = 'idle'
self.state.add(state)
def terminate(self):
self.state = {}
# main function in a Thread object
def run(self):
# Here goes your initalisation
# ...
while 'is_alive' in self.state:
if 'start' in self.state:
isready = 1
while isready == 1:
# Here goes your activity
# Simulate activity
print('running')
time.sleep(2)
isready = 0
self.state = self.state - {'start'}
self.state.add('idle')
elif 'idle' in self.state:
print('idle')
time.sleep(1)
if __name__ == '__main__':
m = MotorControl()
time.sleep(2)
m.set_state('start')
time.sleep(3)
m.set_state('stop')
time.sleep(3)
m.set_state('start')
time.sleep(4)
m.terminate()
print('EXIT __main__')
Your tk.Button should look like:
tk.Button(text = "Run File", command = lambda:m.set_state('start'))
tk.Button(text = "Stop File", command = lambda:m.set_state('stop'))
tk.Button(text = "Terminate", command = m.terminate)

The answer I have gone with is simple due to my simple understanding of threading and unique circumstances with which I am using the threading. Instead of terminating the thread in a way I was hoping, I added another conditional statement to the sending line of the send_file function.
while isready == 1:
for i in range(len(pos1)):
if motorstop == False:
print("Step: " + str(i+1))
#data = struct.pack('!llllhhhhhhhh', pos1[i], pos2[i], pos3[i], pos4[i], speed1[i], speed2[i], speed3[i], speed[4], accel1[i], accel2[i], accel3[i], accel4[i])
data = struct.pack("!llhhhh", pos1[i], pos2[i], speed1[i], speed2[i], accel1[i], accel2[i])
ser.write(data)
else:
isready = 0
break
and I have updated my stop() func to the following:
def stop():
try:
global motorstop
global t
motorstop = True
t.join()
except:
print("Error: thread wasn't killed")
I'm not exactly sure how it works but it is much simpler than what was mentioned by #stovefl.
With this code, since the function is mostly just sleeping, it can run but it won't send any new information and then will .join() after the next iteration.

Input without stopping program

I am trying to make a countdown timer that prints the time remaining, and when you input something, it prints what you inputted. My problem is I don't want to wait for the input, just keep running the timer. My incorrect code:
timer = 100
while True:
print(timer)
timer -= 1
if input('> '):
print('the output of input')
You could say I want to have the timer printing the time in the background.

Here's a function that will timeout if no input is given:
import select
import sys
def timeout_input(timeout, prompt="", timeout_value=None):
sys.stdout.write(prompt)
sys.stdout.flush()
ready, _, _ = select.select([sys.stdin], [], [], timeout)
if ready:
return sys.stdin.readline().rstrip('\n')
else:
sys.stdout.write('\n')
sys.stdout.flush()
return timeout_value
You can easily modify it so it shows the remaining time by changing the timeout value on select.select to 1, and looping timeout times.

Standard input and standard output (accessed via input() and print()) are not a good choice for writing interactive asynchronous user interface (UI). Python support a few UIs via it's standard library. For example, curses is a text based user interface available on many POSIX systems. Here is an exmaple code for showing a countdown timer while accepting a number from the user:
import time
import curses
def get_number(seconds):
def _get_number(stdscr):
stdscr.clear()
timeout = time.time() + seconds
s = ""
while time.time() <= timeout:
time_left = int(timeout - time.time())
stdscr.addstr(0, 0, 'Countdown: {} {}'.format(time_left,
"*" * time_left + " " * seconds))
stdscr.addstr(2, 0, ' ' * 50)
stdscr.addstr(2, 0, 'Your Input: {}'.format(s))
stdscr.refresh()
stdscr.timeout(100)
code = stdscr.getch()
stdscr.addstr(10, 0, 'Code: {}'.format(code)) # for debug only
stdscr.refresh()
if ord("0") <= code <= ord("9"):
s += chr(code)
continue
if code == 10 and s: # newline
return int(s)
if code == 127: # backspace
s = s[:-1]
return curses.wrapper(_get_number)
print(get_number(10))

Pause and resume a running script in Python 3.42 in Windows

I'm new to Python and have been googling for a couple of days and read all I can find on this forum. Might be that I don't understand it all but I haven't found a solution to my problem yet. Ask for forgiveness already if there's an answer already to my problem, then I haven't understood it.
I want to make a Pause function for my program Tennismatch. The program will when it's being run print the score of a tennis match like this: "15-0, 15-15 etc ongoing till the match ends. It will print the score line by line.
I want the user to be able to pause after x number of balls, games, etc. So I don't know when the user wants to pause and after the user has paused I want the user to be able to resume the tennismatch where it was.
Have seen the time.sleep() but as I have understood it you must know when you want to pause to use this and it also ain't an indefinetie pause like I want. With input() it's the same.
Am going to make a GUI later on when the code is finished. Happy for anything that leads me to solving my problem.
I use Windows and Python 3.42 and run the program in Shell.
A piece of the code (haven't written it all yet, it's more of a general situation when something is being printed line after line for some time and want to be able do pause in the CIL:
#self.__points = [0,0]
def playGame(self):
if self.server == True: #self.server is either True or False when someone calls playGame()
server = self.player_1.get_win_serve() #self.player_1 = an object of a class Player():
else:
server = self.player_2.get_win_serve() #get_win_serve() method returns the probability to win his serv (1-0)
while (0 < self.__points[0] - self.__points[1] >= 2 or 0 < self.__points[1] - self.__points[0] >= 2) and (self.__points[1] >= 4 or self.__points[0] >= 4):
x = random.uniform(0,1)
if x > 0 and x < server:
self.__points[0] += 1
else:
self.__points[1] += 1
# print('The score, by calling a score() function that I haven't written yet')

For dealing with events in main loop you need to make a separated thread which capture input or any other event.
import sys
from sys import stdin
from time import sleep
from threading import Thread
from Queue import Queue, Empty
def do_something():
sleep(1)
print 42
def enqueue_output(queue):
while True:
# reading line from stdin and pushing to shared queue
input = stdin.readline()
print "got input ", input
queue.put(input)
queue = Queue()
t = Thread(target=enqueue_output, args=(queue,))
t.daemon = True
t.start()
pause = False
try:
while True:
try:
command = queue.get_nowait().strip()
print 'got from queue ', command
except Empty:
print "queue is empty"
command = None
if command:
if command == 'p':
pause = True
if command == 'u':
pause = False
if not pause:
print pause
do_something()
except KeyboardInterrupt:
sys.exit(0)

I came up with the following.
while True:
try:
## Keep doing something here
## your regular code
print '.',
except KeyboardInterrupt:
## write or call pause function which could be time.sleep()
print '\nPausing... (Hit ENTER to continue, type quit to exit.)'
try:
response = raw_input()
if response.lower() == 'quit':
break
print 'Quitting...'
except KeyboardInterrupt:
print 'Resuming...'
continue

The Event loop might as well be the code I wrote with.
I don't see any user input so I assume that x emulates it. To pause the game if x < 0.1 and to unpause(/resume) it if x > 0.9, you could:
while your_condition(self.__points):
x = random.random()
if x < 0.1: # pause
self.pause()
elif x > 0.9: # resume
self.resume()
if self.is_paused:
continue # do nothing else only wait for input (`x`)
# assume your_condition() has no side-effects
# here's what the resumed version does:
print("...")
# change self.__points, etc
where pause(), resume(), is_paused() methods could be implemented as:
def __init__(self):
self.is_paused = False
def pause(self):
self.is_paused = True
def resume(self):
self.is_paused = False
as you can see the implementation is very simple.

Python realtime timer

Could anybody advise me on converting the Java Timer class to Python? Currently I am converting a Java program to a Python script. However, Python does not have the Timer/TimerTask library (if it does have this, please enlighten me. Thanks!). I need to be able to reset the Timer. Java has Timer.cancel, but Python doesn't have this. Is there any replacement for it?
timer.cancel();
timer = new Timer("Printer");
MyTask t = new MyTask();
timer.schedule(t, 0, 1000);
Java script timer
class Timerclass extends TimerTask {
//times member represent calling times.
private int times = 0;
public void run() {
times++;
if (times <= 5) {
System.out.println(""+times);
} else {
this.cancel();
//Stop Timer.
System.out.println("Timer Finish");
}
}
}
Currently my code
import time
import threading
class Variable:
count = 0
people = 0
times = 0
def enter():
if int(Variable.count == 1):
print("Entered")
t = threading.Timer(5.0, countdown)
t.start()
else:
print("Entered +1")
t.clear() // Stuck Help
t = threading.Timer(5.0, countdown)
t.start()
def out():
if int(Variable.count > 0):
print("Exited")
elif int(Variable.count < 0):
print("Error")
def countdown():
print("TIMEUP")
while True:
sensor1 = input("Sensor 1: ")
sensor2 = input("Sensor 2: ")
Variable.count+=1
if int(sensor1) == int(sensor2):
Variable.count -= 1
print(Variable.count)
print("error")
elif int(sensor1) == 1:
Variable.people += 1
print(Variable.people)
enter()
elif int(sensor2) == 1:
Variable.people -= 1
print(Variable.people)
out()
else:
print("Error")
i have one problems that i'm stuck in i need to stop the current counting and start a new one whenever the method call
Basically what i want or im looking out for is when i recall this method it will reset or cancel any existing and recount again
Update latest
import time
import threading
class Variable:
count = 0
people = 0
times = 0
def countdown():
print("TIMEUP")
t = threading.Timer(5.0, countdown)
def enter():
if int(Variable.count == 1):
print("Entered")
t.start()
else:
print("Entered +1")
t.cancel()
t.join() # here you block the main thread until the timer is completely stopped
t.start()
def out():
if int(Variable.count > 0):
print("Exited")
elif int(Variable.count < 0):
print("Error")
while True:
sensor1 = input("Sensor 1: ")
sensor2 = input("Sensor 2: ")
Variable.count+=1
if int(sensor1) == int(sensor2):
Variable.count -= 1
print(Variable.count)
print("error")
elif int(sensor1) == 1:
Variable.people += 1
print(Variable.people)
enter()
elif int(sensor2) == 1:
Variable.people -= 1
print(Variable.people)
out()
else:
print("Error")
Anybody can spot my ,istake im getting this error but i t.clear() the process
in start raise RuntimeError("threads can only be started once")
RuntimeError: threads can only be started once

I would suggest using the time module for something like this:
from time import time, sleep
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
nowtime = time()
#Put your script here
x = 1
for k in range(1000):
x+=1
sleep(0.01)
sec = timedelta(seconds=int(time()-nowtime))
d = datetime(1,1,1)+sec
print("DAYS:HOURS:MIN:SEC")
print("%d:%d:%d:%d" % (d.day-1, d.hour, d.minute, d.second))
This assigns the time in seconds at the beginning to a variable, and after the main script has finished, it subtracts the previous time from the current time and formats it in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.
Here is it running:
bash-3.2$ python timing.py
DAYS:HOURS:MIN:SEC
0:0:0:10
bash-3.2$
You could also use the Threading module, which has a built-in cancel method:
>>> import threading
>>> def hello():
... print "This will print after a desired period of time"
...
>>> timer = threading.Timer(3.0, hello)
>>> timer.start() #After 3.0 seconds, "This will print after a desired period of time" will be printed
>>> This will print after a desired period of time
>>> timer.start()
>>> timer = threading.Timer(3.0, hello)
>>> timer.start()
>>> timer.cancel()
>>>

Python actually has a class for this, which includes a cancel method: threading.Timer. It seems to be close enough to the Java Timer class for your needs (The Java Timer also runs in background thread). Here's the example usage from the docs:
def hello():
print "hello, world"
t = Timer(30.0, hello)
t.start() # after 30 seconds, "hello, world" will be printed
Edit:
The problem with your updated code is that you're trying to use the same Timer object more than once. That may be possible in the Java implementation, but in Python you can't reuse a Thread object (Timer is a Thread subclass). You'll need to create a new Timer object after you join() it. Like this:
t = threading.Timer(5.0, countdown)
def enter():
global t # You need this to tell Python that you're going to change the global t variable. If you don't do this, using 't = ..' will just create a local t variable.
if int(Variable.count == 1):
print("Entered")
t.start()
else:
print("Entered +1")
t.cancel()
t.join() # here you block the main thread until the timer is completely stopped
t = threading.Timer(5.0, countdown)
t.start()

In python, on windows, how to wait until mouse moves?

I'm developing a screen capture tool, this tools aims to help software developers understand how users ended up crashing the application. The idea is to start screen capture once the mouse starts moving and stop it after 5 minutes the mouse didn't move. screen capture works fine through subprocess with ffmpeg, the only remaining problem (except for the application crashes) is to start and stop the screen capture. How can I do this? ideally it would work with condition variable but even a loop which tests if the mouse moved in the last second would do. Is there any chance python supports something like OnMouseMove()?

A loop + pywin32, like this:
import win32api
from time import sleep
count = 0
savedpos = win32api.GetCursorPos()
while(True):
if count>20*5: # break after 5sec
break
curpos = win32api.GetCursorPos()
if savedpos != curpos:
savedpos = curpos
print "moved to " + str(savedpos)
sleep(0.05)
count +=1

wxPython gives you access to a whole set of OnMouse events that you can bind to.

After considering my alternatives I think this the right way to handle my problem, please note I've updated the code to support remote desktop disconnect by checking if the GetCursorPos() throws an exception, also please note that when closing the remote desktop ffmpeg outputs
[dshow # ] real-time buffer full! frame dropped!
But the output file looks fine to me. This script was tested on Windows server 2012
# http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/
# http://www.videohelp.com/tools/UScreenCapture
# http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/files/pywin32/
import time, win32api, threading, subprocess, datetime, string, winerror
StopRecordingTimeout = 10
def captureFunction():
pos = None
proc = None
counter = 0
while True:
time.sleep(1)
exceptFlag = False
try:
newPos = win32api.GetCursorPos()
if pos == None:
pos = newPos
except Exception as e:
if e[0] == winerror.ERROR_ACCESS_DENIED:
exceptFlag = True
if newPos != pos and proc != None:
# mouse moved and we are recording already so just make sure the time out counter is zero
counter = 0
elif newPos != pos and proc == None:
# mouse moved and recording didn't start already
fileName = filter(lambda x : x in string.digits, str(datetime.datetime.now()))
fileName = 'output' + fileName + '.flv'
print 'start recording to ' + fileName
proc = subprocess.Popen('ffmpeg -f dshow -i video=UScreenCapture ' + fileName)
elif proc != None and (newPos == pos or exceptFlag):
# mouse didn't moved and recording already started
if counter < StopRecordingTimeout and not exceptFlag:
counter = counter + 1
print 'stop recording in ' + str(StopRecordingTimeout - counter) + ' seconds'
elif exceptFlag or counter >= StopRecordingTimeout:
print 'stop recording'
proc.terminate()
proc = None
counter = 0
pos = newPos
print 'start'
captureThread = threading.Thread(target = captureFunction)
captureThread.start()
captureThread.join()
print 'end'