& after bash command - python

I'm not sure what the & after the command in this bash script is doing.
python alt_pg ${args} &
Also the original version of the script that I'm modifying does not use 'python' at the start of the command is that something to do with the '&'?

& at the end of the line runs python alt_pg ${args} in the "background" under your linux shell; however, the script is still associated with the shell. Therefore, if the shell stops, so does the script.
Side note: You can disassociate the script from your shell by using nohup python alt_pg ${args} &. If you spawn the script like this, the script persists after logging out of the shell.

No, they're two separate things.
Running python alt_pg ... means python will be looked up in $PATH, and alt_pg ... will be passed as arguments to python. Python then looks for a file named alt_pg. Running alt_pg ... means alt_pg will be looked up in $PATH. The latter may cause python to run anyway, depending on what alt_pg does.
Adding a & after the command means the command runs in the background, and the shell can continue with commands that follow even when alt_pg is still running.

The ampersand runs the process in a forked/background process.

Related

Execute python code from within a shell script

I want to have some python code run within a shell script. I don't want to rely on an external file to be ran. Is there any way to do that?
I did a ton of googling, but there aren't any clear answers. This code is what I find... But it relies on the external python script to be ran. I want it all within one file.
python python_script.py
You can use a so-called "here document":
#!/usr/bin/env bash
echo "hello from bash"
python3 - <<'EOF'
print("hello from Python 3")
EOF
The single quotes around the first EOF prevent the usual expansions and command substitions in a shell script.
If you want those to happen, simply remove them.
If you mean within a BASH shell script without executing any external dependencies, I am afraid you're out of luck, since BASH only interprets its own scripting language.
Your question is somewhat like asking "Can I run a Java .class file without the JVM"? Obviously, you will always have the external dependency of the JRE/JVM. This is the same case, you depend on the external Python compiler and interpreter.
Optionally, you have the option of including the python script inline, but it would still require the python executable.
This works:
python -c 'print("Hi")'
Or this with BASH redirection:
python <<< 'print("Hi")'

Open terminal, run python script and keep it open for results?

How to get an sh script for starting a new terminal, execute a python script and keep it running? The python script is supposed to run continuously in a perpetual loop, spitting out results as they pop in. Whenever trying with sh-script for gnome-terminal just getting: child process exited normally with status 2
Manually it would just be: python home/ubuntu/pyscript.py
Could someone give an idea how to do this?
I have a list of scripts to run, so resorting to the manual solution is tedious.
You can use gnome-terminal with the -x flag.
Suppose you have a spam.py script; then the following command will spawn a new terminal, run spam.py in it, and close the terminal once the script has ended.
gnome-terminal -x python spam.py
Try with this script:
# spam.py
import time
for _ in range(5):
print("eggs")
time.sleep(1)
Then the previous command will spawn a terminal, that will be printed eggs five times, and then will be closed.
If you want to leave the terminal open with the Python interpret still running after the script ended, then Python's -i flag (doc then CTRL+F -> -i) is what you want:
gnome-terminal -x python -i spam.py
To run the Python script in a new instance of your favourite terminal, write:
x-terminal-emulator -e python -i home/ubuntu/pyscript.py
This will start the Python script and run it until it ends, then display a Python prompt to stop the terminal emulator from closing.
This will work with x-terminal-emulator substituted with any of the many, many terminals installed on my computer, so will work with little modification across all POSIX-compatible systems with the standard terminals installed. This won't work on a Mac, however. For a properly cross-platform Python implementation of something slightly different, see here. Most of the techniques should be transferable.
To run the Python script in the same terminal whilst carrying on with the rest of the shell script, write:
python home/ubuntu/pyscript.py &
Note the &, which runs the program as a new process (but still connects the output to the virtual terminal).

os.system doesn't work in Python

I'm working on windows vista, but I'm running python from DOS command. I have this simple python program. (It's actually one py file named test.py)
import os
os.system('cd ..')
When I execute "python test.py" from a Dos command, it doesn't work.
For example, if the prompt Dos Command before execution was this:
C:\Directory>
After execution, must be this:
C:\>
Help Plz.
First, you generally don't want to use os.system - take a look at the subprocess module instead. But, that won't solve your immediate problem (just some you might have down the track) - the actual reason cd won't work is because it changes the working directory of the subprocess, and doesn't affect the process Python is running in - to do that, use os.chdir.
I don't really use Windows, but you can try cmd /k yourcommandhere. This executes the command and then returns to the CMD prompt.
So for example, maybe you can do what you want like this:
subprocess.call(['cmd', '/k', 'cd .. && prompt changed'])
As I said, I am not familiar with Windows, so the syntax could be wrong, but you should get the idea.
In case you don't know, this is a different CMD instance than the one you were in before you started your python script. So when you exit, your python script should continue execution, and after it's done, you'll be back to your original CMD.

python multithreading issue in cronjob

I have a python program that uses the ThreadPool for multithreading. The program is one step in a shell script. When I execute the shell script manually on the command line, the entire flow works as expected. However, when I execute the shell script as a cronjob, it appears that the flow goes to the next steps before the python multithreading steps are completely finished.
Inside the python program, I do call AsyncResult.get(timeout) to wait for all the results to come back before moving on.
Run your program via batch(1) (see the output of the command man batch) as well. If that works OK, but the cron version does not, then it is almost certainly a problem with your environment variable setup. To verify that, run printenv from your interactive shell to inspect your environment there. Then do the same thing inside the crontab (you will just need to temporarily set up an extra cron entry for it). Try setting the variables in your shell script before invoking Python.
On the other hand, if it doesn't work via batch(1) either, it could be something to do with the files that your code has open. Try running your shell script with input redirected from /dev/null and output going to a file:
$ /usr/local/bin/myscript </dev/null >|/tmp/outfile.txt 2>&1
Try setting "TERM=xterm" (or whatever env variable you have, figure out by command 'env' on your terminal) in your crontab.

Python 'source HOME/.bashrc' with os.system()

I am writing a python script (Linux) that is adding some shell aliases (writes them to HOME/.bash_aliases).
In order to make an alias available immediately after it was written I should issue the following bash built-in:
source HOME/.bashrc
source is a bash built-in so I cannot just:
os.system(source HOME/.bashrc)
If i try something like:
os.system('/bin/bash -c source HOME/.bashrc')
...will freeze the script (just like is waiting for something).
Any suggestions ?
What you want is not possible. A program (your script) cannot modify the environment of the caller (the shell you run it from).
Another approach which would allow you to do something close is to write it in terms of a bash function, which is run in the same process and can modify the caller. Note that sourcing during runtime can have possible negative side-effects depending on what the user has in their bashrc.
what you are trying to do is impossible. or better: how you are trying to do it is impossible.
your bash command is wrong. bash -s command does not execute command. it just stores the string "command" in the variable $1 and then drops you to the prompt. that is why the python script seems to freeze. what you meant to do is bash -c command.
why do you source .bashrc? would it not be enough to just source .bash_aliases?
even if you got your bash command right, the changes will only take effect in the bash session started from python. once that bash session is closed, and your python script is done, you are back at your original bash session. all changes in the bash session started from python is lost.
everytime you want to change something in the current bash session, you have to do it from inside the current bash session. most of the commands you run from bash (system commands, python scripts, even bash scripts) will spawn another process, and everything you do in that other process will not affect your first bash session.
source is a bash builtin which allows you to execute commands inside the currently running bash session, instead of spawning another process and running the commands there. defining a bash function is another way to execute commands inside the currently running bash session.
see this answer for more information about sourcing and executing.
what you can do to achieve what you want
modify your python script to just do the changes necessary to .bash_aliases.
prepare a bash script to run your python script and then source .bash_aliases.
#i am a bash script, but you have to source me, do not execute me.
modify_bash_aliases.py "$#"
source ~/.bash_aliases
add an alias to your .bashrc to source that script
alias add_alias='source modify_bash_aliases.sh'
now when you type add_alias some_alias in your bash prompt it will be replaced with source modify_bash_aliases.sh and then executed. since source is a bash builtin, the commands inside the script will be executed inside the currently running bash session. the python script will still run in another process, but the subsequent source command will run inside your currently running bash session.
another way
modify your python script to just do the changes necessary to .bash_aliases.
prepare a bash function to run your python script and then source .bash_aliases.
add_alias() {
modify_bash_aliases.py "$#"
source ~/.bash_aliases
}
now you can call the function like this: add_alias some_alias
I had an interesting issue where I needed to source an RC file to get the correct output in my python script.
I eventually used this inside my function to bring over the same variables from the bash file I needed to source. Be sure to have os imported.
with open('overcloudrc') as data:
lines = data.readlines()
for line in lines:
var = line.split(' ')[1].split('=')[0].strip()
val = line.split(' ')[1].split('=')[1].strip()
os.environ[var] = val
Working solution from Can I use an alias to execute a program from a python script :
import subprocess
sp = subprocess.Popen(["/bin/bash", "-i", "-c", "nuke -x scriptpath"])
sp.communicate()

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