Correctly terminating a thread in Python - python

I'm not too familiar with threading, and probably not using it correctly, but I have a script that runs a speedtest a few times and prints the average. I'm trying to use threading to call a function which displays something while the tests are running.
Everything works fine unless I try to put input() at the end of the script to keep the console window open. It causes the thread to run continuously.
I'm looking for some direction in terminating a thread correctly. Also open to any better ways to do this.
import speedtest, time, sys, datetime
from threading import Thread
s = speedtest.Speedtest()
best = s.get_best_server()
def downloadTest(tries):
x=0
downloadList = []
for x in range(tries):
downSpeed = (s.download()/1000000)
downloadList.append(downSpeed)
x+=1
results_dict = s.results.dict()
global download_avg, isp
download_avg = (sum(downloadList)/len(downloadList))
download_avg = round(download_avg,1)
isp = (results_dict['client']['isp'])
print("")
print(isp)
print(download_avg)
def progress():
while True:
print('~ ',end='', flush=True)
time.sleep(1)
def start():
now=(datetime.datetime.today().replace(microsecond=0))
print(now)
d = Thread(target= downloadTest, args=(3,))
d.start()
d1 = Thread(target = progress)
d1.daemon = True
d1.start()
d.join()
start()
input("Complete...") # this causes progress thread to keep running

There is no reason for your thread to exit, which is why it does not terminate. A daemon thread normally terminates when your programm (all other threads) terminate, which does not happen in this as the last input does not quit.
In general it is a good idea to make a thread stop by itself, rather than forcefully killing it, so you would generally kill this kind of thread with a flag. Try changing the segment at the end to:
killflag = False
start()
killflag = True
input("Complete...")
and update the progress method to:
def progress():
while not killflag:
print('~ ',end='', flush=True)
time.sleep(1)

Related

Cannot Terminate While Loop in Killed Thread

The point of my script is to have one function called stopper send a terminate thread event to the function go_to, once it reaches a certain time.
Currently, the event is triggered, the thread supposedly closed, and stopper is ended. But go_to continues to print to the command line.
I can't figure out how to stop it correctly.
import threading
import time
class Stop_Check(object):
def __init__(self):
self.thread1Stop = threading.Event()
def stopper(self):
t = 0
while True:
t = t + 1
time.sleep(1.0)
if t == 3 :
self.thread1Stop.set()
break
else :
print("I'm still going...")
time.sleep(1.0)
continue
print("terminated")
def go_to(self):
while (not self.thread1Stop.is_set()):
print("I am working!")
time.sleep(1.0)
def main(self):
t1 = threading.Thread(target=self.go_to)
t1.start()
self.stopper()
time.sleep(5.0)
if __name__ == '__main__' :
sc = Stop_Check()
sc.main()
I tried running the script in the terminal, outside of the software called Atom. Now it terminates as expected. Thanks to #Steven for confirming it works! Still not sure why this behavior was happening.

Python Paramiko Ctrl Z is not working for threading [duplicate]

I am testing Python threading with the following script:
import threading
class FirstThread (threading.Thread):
def run (self):
while True:
print 'first'
class SecondThread (threading.Thread):
def run (self):
while True:
print 'second'
FirstThread().start()
SecondThread().start()
This is running in Python 2.7 on Kubuntu 11.10. Ctrl+C will not kill it. I also tried adding a handler for system signals, but that did not help:
import signal
import sys
def signal_handler(signal, frame):
sys.exit(0)
signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal_handler)
To kill the process I am killing it by PID after sending the program to the background with Ctrl+Z, which isn't being ignored. Why is Ctrl+C being ignored so persistently? How can I resolve this?
Ctrl+C terminates the main thread, but because your threads aren't in daemon mode, they keep running, and that keeps the process alive. We can make them daemons:
f = FirstThread()
f.daemon = True
f.start()
s = SecondThread()
s.daemon = True
s.start()
But then there's another problem - once the main thread has started your threads, there's nothing else for it to do. So it exits, and the threads are destroyed instantly. So let's keep the main thread alive:
import time
while True:
time.sleep(1)
Now it will keep print 'first' and 'second' until you hit Ctrl+C.
Edit: as commenters have pointed out, the daemon threads may not get a chance to clean up things like temporary files. If you need that, then catch the KeyboardInterrupt on the main thread and have it co-ordinate cleanup and shutdown. But in many cases, letting daemon threads die suddenly is probably good enough.
KeyboardInterrupt and signals are only seen by the process (ie the main thread)... Have a look at Ctrl-c i.e. KeyboardInterrupt to kill threads in python
I think it's best to call join() on your threads when you expect them to die. I've taken the liberty to make the change your loops to end (you can add whatever cleanup needs are required to there as well). The variable die is checked on each pass and when it's True, the program exits.
import threading
import time
class MyThread (threading.Thread):
die = False
def __init__(self, name):
threading.Thread.__init__(self)
self.name = name
def run (self):
while not self.die:
time.sleep(1)
print (self.name)
def join(self):
self.die = True
super().join()
if __name__ == '__main__':
f = MyThread('first')
f.start()
s = MyThread('second')
s.start()
try:
while True:
time.sleep(2)
except KeyboardInterrupt:
f.join()
s.join()
An improved version of #Thomas K's answer:
Defining an assistant function is_any_thread_alive() according to this gist, which can terminates the main() automatically.
Example codes:
import threading
def job1():
...
def job2():
...
def is_any_thread_alive(threads):
return True in [t.is_alive() for t in threads]
if __name__ == "__main__":
...
t1 = threading.Thread(target=job1,daemon=True)
t2 = threading.Thread(target=job2,daemon=True)
t1.start()
t2.start()
while is_any_thread_alive([t1,t2]):
time.sleep(0)
One simple 'gotcha' to beware of, are you sure CAPS LOCK isn't on?
I was running a Python script in the Thonny IDE on a Pi4. With CAPS LOCK on, Ctrl+Shift+C is passed to the keyboard buffer, not Ctrl+C.

python thread weird behavior

I have a timer function which I am calling it in another function like this
import time
import threading
def f():
while(True):
print "hello"
time.sleep(5)
def execute():
t = threading.Timer(5,f)
t.start()
command = ''
while command != 'exit':
command = raw_input()
if command == 'exit':
t.cancel()
Even if after entering "exit" command, the function is printing "hello"
I am not able to figure out Whats wrong with the code
class threading.Timer - cancel() - Doc-Link
Stop the timer, and cancel the execution of the timer’s action. This will only work if the timer is still in its waiting stage.
A very simple Version of what you are trying to accomplish could look like this.
import threading
_f_got_killed = threading.Event()
def f():
while(True):
print "hello"
_f_got_killed.wait(5)
if _f_got_killed.is_set():
break
def execute():
t = threading.Timer(5,f)
t.start()
command = ''
while command != 'exit':
command = raw_input()
if command == 'exit':
_f_got_killed.set()
t.cancel()
execute()
For forcefully killing a thread look at this:
Is there any way to kill a Thread in Python?
You are using cancel wrong. In http://docs.python.org/2/library/threading.html, it states: "Timers are started, as with threads, by calling their start() method. The timer can be stopped (before its action has begun) by calling the cancel() method. The interval the timer will wait before executing its action may not be exactly the same as the interval specified by the user."
In your code, if you try to use cancel after the timed thread has already begun its execution (it will in 5 seconds), cancel accomplishes nothing. The thread will remain in the while loop in f forever until you give it some sort of forced interrupt. So typing "exit" in the first 5 seconds after you run execute works. It will successfully stop the timer before the thread even begins. But after your timer stops and your thread starts executing the code in f, there will be no way to stop it through cancel.

Multiprocessing beside a main loop

I'm struggling with a issue for some time now.
I'm building a little script which uses a main loop. This is a process that needs some attention from the users. The user responds on the steps and than some magic happens with use of some functions
Beside this I want to spawn another process which monitors the computer system for some specific events like pressing specif keys. If these events occur then it will launch the same functions as when the user gives in the right values.
So I need to make two processes:
-The main loop (which allows user interaction)
-The background "event scanner", which searches for specific events and then reacts on it.
I try this by launching a main loop and a daemon multiprocessing process. The problem is that when I launch the background process it starts, but after that I does not launch the main loop.
I simplified everything a little to make it more clear:
import multiprocessing, sys, time
def main_loop():
while 1:
input = input('What kind of food do you like?')
print(input)
def test():
while 1:
time.sleep(1)
print('this should run in the background')
if __name__ == '__main__':
try:
print('hello!')
mProcess = multiprocessing.Process(target=test())
mProcess.daemon = True
mProcess.start()
#after starting main loop does not start while it prints out the test loop fine.
main_loop()
except:
sys.exit(0)
You should do
mProcess = multiprocessing.Process(target=test)
instead of
mProcess = multiprocessing.Process(target=test())
Your code actually calls test in the parent process, and that call never returns.
You can use the locking synchronization to have a better control over your program's flow. Curiously, the input function raise an EOF error, but I'm sure you can find a workaround.
import multiprocessing, sys, time
def main_loop(l):
time.sleep(4)
l.acquire()
# raise an EOFError, I don't know why .
#_input = input('What kind of food do you like?')
print(" raw input at 4 sec ")
l.release()
return
def test(l):
i=0
while i<8:
time.sleep(1)
l.acquire()
print('this should run in the background : ', i+1, 'sec')
l.release()
i+=1
return
if __name__ == '__main__':
lock = multiprocessing.Lock()
#try:
print('hello!')
mProcess = multiprocessing.Process(target=test, args = (lock, ) ).start()
inputProcess = multiprocessing.Process(target=main_loop, args = (lock,)).start()
#except:
#sys.exit(0)

Python: close all daemon threads

I have several daemon threads in my Python application. When my main function exits, these daemon threads terminate (as expected) and the program closes. But I want a way to essentially "restart" my program without exiting and starting it again. Is there a way to "force close" all of my daemon threads without calling sys.exit()?
Mostly depends on your needs. If you want to save same type and reload
the application automatically this is not very difficult, take the
following example:
#!/usr/bin/env python
import sys, os, time
t = int(sys.argv[1])
print 'hello, I am', t
time.sleep(t)
if t > 2:
sys.exit()
os.execl(sys.argv[0], sys.argv[0], str(t+1))
the script restarts itself while a certain condition is satisfied, then
exists. You could restart the application based on an event or a
signal, for example after a SIGHUP.
If you need also to save the current state the things are more
complicated. You can save the state of the application in a file before
restarting it and reload the state during the startup routine or you
have to instruct the daemon threads to exit on certain condition:
import threading, signal, time
should_restart = False
cond = threading.Event()
exit = threading.Event()
threads = []
def start(num=3):
for i in range(num):
t = threading.Thread(target=foo, args=[cond])
threads.append(t)
t.daemon = True
print 'hello, I am', t.name
t.start()
def restart(signum, frame):
global should_restart
should_restart = False
cond.set()
for thread in threads:
thread.join()
print 'bye bye', thread.name
cond.clear()
start()
def foo(should_exit):
while not should_exit.is_set():
time.sleep(0.2)
signal.signal(signal.SIGHUP, restart)
signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, lambda n, f: exit.set())
start()
while not exit.is_set():
time.sleep(0.2)
I hope these two example are useful to you to better understand your needs.

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