Set variable of a running Python script - python

How can I access a running Python script's variable? Or access a function, to set the variable. I want to access it from the command line or from another Python script, that doesn't matter.
For example,
I have one script running run_motor.py, with a variable called mustRun. When the user pushes the stop button it should access the variable mustRun to change it to false.

If you want to interact with a running python script and modify some variables in it (I don't know why you want to do that, but... meh) you can have a look at Pyrasite.
Here is a demo of Pyrasite on asciinema
This is damn impressive.
By the way just so you know, that's NOT the best practice for what you want to do. I assume this is for testing purpose because using that kind of script in production or something like that wouldn't be safe at all...

Easiest way of accomplishing this is to run a small TCP server in a thread and have it change the variable you want to change when it receives a command to do so. Then write a python script that sends the stop command to that TCP server.

Related

Safely run executable in Node

I found myself having to implement the following use case: I need to run a webapp in which users can submit C programs, which need to be run safely on my backend.
I'm trying to get this done using Node. In the past, I had to do something similar but the user-submitted code was JavaScript code, and I got away with using Node vm2 module. Essentially, I would create a VM and call its run method with the user submitted code as a string argument, then collect the output and do whatever I had to.
I'm trying to understand if using the same moule could help me with C code as well. The idea would be to use exec to first call gcc and compile the user code. Afterwards, I would use a VM to run exec again, this time passing the generated executable as a result. Would this be safe?
I don't understand vm2 deeply enough to know whether the safety is only limited to executing JS code or if it can be trusted to also run any arbitrary shell command safely.
In case vm2 isn't appropriate, what would be another way to run an executable in a sandboxed fashion in Node? Feel free to also suggest Python-based solutions, if you know any. Please note that the code will still be executed in a separate container as the main app regardless, but I want to make extra sure users cannot easily just tear it down at their liking.
Thank you in advance.
I am currently experiencing the same challenge as you, trying to execute safely some untrusted code using spawn, so what I can tell you is that vm2 only works for JS/TS code, but can't control what happens to a new process created by spawn, fork or exec.
For now I haven't found any good solution, but I'm thinking of trying to run the process as a user with limited rights.
As you seem to have access to the C source code, I would advise you to search how to run untrusted C programs (in plain C), and see if you can manipulate the C code in order to have a safer environment from this point of view.

How to run a script on startup in PostgreSQL?

I tried to create a pgAgent Job, but I can't seem to make it work the way I want. I can schedule a maintenance and put my script there, but it is not exactly what I want to do.
To be more precise, what I want to do is to start a script that will subscribe to a broker. I don't want the user to start the script manually. Is there something I can do?
It is a bit unclear what you want to do.
If you want some program to be started right after PostgreSQL, create an appropriate startup script (that depends on your operating system).
If you want something to run in the database right when it is starting up, write a PostgreSQL module in C and add it to shared_preload_libraries in postgresql.conf.

Possible to run a delayed code execution?

Will it is possible to run a small set of code automatically after a script was run?
I am asking this because for some reasons, if I added this set of code into the main script, though it works, it will displays a list of tab errors (its already there, but it is stating that it cannot find it some sort).
I realized that after running my script, Maya seems to 'load' its own setup of refreshing, along with some plugins done by my company. As such, if I am running the small set of code after my main script execution and the Maya/ plugins 'refresher', it works with no problem. I had like to make the process as automated as possible, all within a script if that is possible...
Thus is it possible to do so? Like a delayed sort of coding method?
FYI, the main script execution time depends on the number of elements in the scene. The more there are, it will takes longer...
Maya has a command Maya.cmds.evalDeferred that is meant for this purpose. It waits till no more Maya processing is pending and then evaluates itself.
You can also use Maya.cmds.scriptJob for the same purpose.
Note: While eval is considered dangerous and insecure in Maya context its really normal. Mainly because everything in Maya is inherently insecure as nearly all GUI items are just eval commands that the user may modify. So the second you let anybody use your Maya shell your security is breached.

Pylons REPL reevaluate code in running web server

I'm programming in python on a pre-existing pylons project (the okfn's ckan), but I'm a lisper by trade and used to that way of doing things.
Please correct me if I make false statements:
In pylons it seems that I should say
$ paster serve --reload
to get a web server that will notice changes.
At that point I can change a function, save the file and then go to my browser to test the change.
If I want to examine variables in a function in the process of making a webpage, then I put raise "hello", and then when I load the page, I get a browser based debugger, in which I can examine the program.
This is all very nice and works swimmingly, and I get the impression that that's how people tend to write pylons code.
Unfortunately the reload takes several seconds, and it keeps breaking my train of thought.
What I'd like to do is to run the web server from emacs, (although a python REPL on the command line would be almost as good), so that I can change a function in the editor and then send the new code to the running process without having to restart it. (with a command line repl I guess I'd have to copy and paste the new thing, but that would also be workable, just slightly less convenient)
Python seems very dynamic, and much like lisp in many ways, so I can't see in principle any reason why that wouldn't work.
So I guess the question is:
Is anyone familiar with the lisp way of doing things, and with Pylons, and can they tell me how to program the lisp way in pylons? Or is it impossible or a bad idea for some reason?
Edit:
I can run the webserver from my python interpreter inside emacs with:
from paste.script.serve import ServeCommand
ServeCommand("serve").run(["development.ini"])
And I can get the code to stop and show me what it's doing by inserting:
import pdb
pdb.set_trace()
so now all I need is a way to get the webserver to run on a different thread, so that control returns to the REPL and I can redefine functions and variables in the running process.
def start_server():
from paste.script.serve import ServeCommand
ServeCommand("serve").run(["development.ini"])
server_thread=threading.Thread(target=start_server)
server_thread.start()
This seems to work, except that if I redefine a function at the REPL the change doesn't get reflected in the webserver. Does anyone know why?
It seems that this way of working is impossible in python for the reason given by TokenMacGuy's comment, i.e. because redefining a class doesn't change the code in an instance of that class.
That seems a terrible shame, since in many other respects python seems very flexible, but it does explain why there's no python-swank!

How can I detect what other copy of Python script is already running

I have a script. It uses GTK. And I need to know if another copy of scrip starts. If it starts window will extend.
Please, tell me the way I can detect it.
You could use a D-Bus service. Your script would start a new service if none is found running in the current session, and otherwise send a D-Bus message to the running instace (that can send "anything", including strings, lists, dicts).
The GTK-based library libunique (missing Python bindings?) uses this approach in its implementation of "unique" applications.
You can use a PID file to determine if the application is already running (just search for "python daemon" on Google to find some working implementations).
If you detected that the program is already running, you can communicate with the running instance using named pipes.
The new copy could search for running copies, fire a SIGUSER signal and trigger a callback in your running process that then handles all the magic.
See the signal library for details and the list of things that can go wrong.
I've done that using several ways depending upon the scenario
In one case my script had to listen on a TCP port. So I'd just see if the port was available it'd mean it is a new copy. This was sufficient for me but in certain cases, if the port is already in use, it might be because some other kind of application is listening on that port. You can use OS calls to find out who is listening on the port or try sending data and checking the response.
In another case I used PID file. Just decide a location and a filename, and everytime your script starts, read that file to get a PID. If that PID is running, it means another copy is already there. Otherwise create that file and write your process ID in it. This is pretty simple. If you are using django then you can simply use django's daemonizer: "from django.utils import daemonize". Otherwise you can use this script: http://www.jejik.com/articles/2007/02/a_simple_unix_linux_daemon_in_python/

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