Develop Reference

Call python function with arguments and get returned value in autohotkey

I have a python script called "server.py" and inside it I have a function def calcFunction(arg1): ... return output How can I call the function calcFunction with arguments and use the return value in autohotkey? This is what I want to do in autohotkey:
ToSend = someString ; a string
output = Run server.py, calcFunction(ToSend) ; get the returned value from the function with ToSend as argument
Send, output ; use the returned value in autohotkey
I have looked online but nothing seems to fully answer my question. Can it even be done?

In order to send your parameters to Python, you could use arguments from within your Python script. You can do this with the sys library:
import sys
print(sys.argv[0]) # name of file
print(sys.argv[1]) # first argument
print(sys.argv[2]) # second argument...
From within your AutoHotKey script, you can send parameters to the Python script by adding them as arguments right after specifying the file name:
RunWait, server.py "This will be printed as the first argument!" "This is the second!"
Then, to get the output of the function back to AHK, you could use sys again by utilizing it's exit() function:
sys.exit(EXIT_NUMBER)
And back in AHK, you recieve the EXIT_NUMBER inside the variable ErrorLevel.
Put all together, your code should look something like this:
; AHK
RunWait, server.py "%ToSend%"
# Python
sys.exit(calcFunction(sys.argv[1]))
; AHK
MsgBox %ErrorLevel%

using python COM server, ahk can really calls python functions. directly.
you use it like this: MsgBox % pythonComServer.toUppercase("hello world")
simple example: return uppercased string
use the python part from How to program hotstrings in python like in autohotkey and use this for ahk part:
call python function uppercase.ahk
#NoEnv ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
#SingleInstance, force
SendMode Input ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir% ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.
SetBatchLines, -1
#KeyHistory 0
ListLines Off
pythonComServer:=ComObjCreate("Python.stringUppercaser")
;or
; pythonComServer:=ComObjCreate("{C70F3BF7-2947-4F87-B31E-9F5B8B13D24F}") ;use your own CLSID
MsgBox % pythonComServer.toUppercase("hello world")
Exitapp
f3::Exitapp
customized version: (math) use SymPy to simplify Expression
read this first to understand: How to program hotstrings in python like in autohotkey
sympy com server.py
from sympy import simplify, Number, N
from sympy.parsing.sympy_parser import standard_transformations, implicit_multiplication_application, convert_xor
from sympy.parsing.sympy_parser import parse_expr
from decimal import Decimal
from winsound import MessageBeep
transformations = standard_transformations + (implicit_multiplication_application, convert_xor)
def removeTrailingZerosFromNum(num):
dec = Decimal(str(num))
tup = dec.as_tuple()
delta = len(tup.digits) + tup.exponent
digits = ''.join(str(d) for d in tup.digits)
if delta <= 0:
zeros = abs(tup.exponent) - len(tup.digits)
val = '0.' + ('0' * zeros) + digits
else:
val = digits[:delta] + ('0' * tup.exponent) + '.' + digits[delta:]
val = val.rstrip('0')
if val[-1] == '.':
val = val[:-1]
if tup.sign:
return '-' + val
return val
def removeTrailingZerosFromExpr(operatorObject):
if operatorObject.args:
return type(operatorObject)(*[removeTrailingZerosFromExpr(i) for i in operatorObject.args])
else:
try:
return Number(removeTrailingZerosFromNum(operatorObject))
except:
return operatorObject
def removeTrailingZerosFromExprOrNumber(operatorObject):
try:
return removeTrailingZerosFromNum(operatorObject)
except:
return removeTrailingZerosFromExpr(operatorObject)
class BasicServer:
# list of all method names exposed to COM
_public_methods_ = ["parExprN"]
#staticmethod
def parExprN(clipBak):
parsed = parse_expr(clipBak, transformations=transformations)
simplified = simplify(N(parsed))
finalStr = str(removeTrailingZerosFromExprOrNumber(simplified))
MessageBeep(-1)
return finalStr.replace("**", "^")
if __name__ == "__main__":
import sys
if len(sys.argv) < 2:
print("Error: need to supply arg (""--register"" or ""--unregister"")")
sys.exit(1)
else:
import win32com.server.register
import win32com.server.exception
# this server's CLSID
# NEVER copy the following ID
# Use "print(pythoncom.CreateGuid())" to make a new one.
myClsid="{4530C817-6C66-46C8-8FB0-E606970A8DF6}"
# this server's (user-friendly) program ID, can be anything you want
myProgID="Python.SimplifyExpr"
import ctypes
def make_sure_is_admin():
try:
if ctypes.windll.shell32.IsUserAnAdmin():
return
except:
pass
exit("YOU MUST RUN THIS AS ADMIN")
if sys.argv[1] == "--register":
make_sure_is_admin()
import pythoncom
import os.path
realPath = os.path.realpath(__file__)
dirName = os.path.dirname(realPath)
nameOfThisFile = os.path.basename(realPath)
nameNoExt = os.path.splitext(nameOfThisFile)[0]
# stuff will be written here
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\${myClsid}
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{c2467d33-71c5-4057-977c-e847c2286882}
# and here
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\${myProgID}
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Python.SimplifyExpr
win32com.server.register.RegisterServer(
clsid=myClsid,
# I guess this is {fileNameNoExt}.{className}
pythonInstString=nameNoExt + ".BasicServer", #sympy com server.BasicServer
progID=myProgID,
# optional description
desc="(math) SymPy simplify Expression",
#we only want the registry key LocalServer32
#we DO NOT WANT InProcServer32: pythoncom39.dll, NO NO NO
clsctx=pythoncom.CLSCTX_LOCAL_SERVER,
#this is needed if this file isn't in PYTHONPATH: it tells regedit which directory this file is located
#this will write HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{4530C817-6C66-46C8-8FB0-E606970A8DF6}\PythonCOMPath : dirName
addnPath=dirName,
)
print("Registered COM server.")
# don't use UseCommandLine(), as it will write InProcServer32: pythoncom39.dll
# win32com.server.register.UseCommandLine(BasicServer)
elif sys.argv[1] == "--unregister":
make_sure_is_admin()
print("Starting to unregister...")
win32com.server.register.UnregisterServer(myClsid, myProgID)
print("Unregistered COM server.")
else:
print("Error: arg not recognized")
to register:
python "sympy com server.py" --register
sympy com client.ahk
#NoEnv ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
#SingleInstance, force
SendMode Input ; Recommended for new scripts due to its superior speed and reliability.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir% ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.
SetBatchLines, -1
#KeyHistory 0
ListLines Off
sympyComServer:=ComObjCreate("Python.SimplifyExpr")
;or
; pythonComServer:=ComObjCreate("{4530C817-6C66-46C8-8FB0-E606970A8DF6}") ;use your own CLSID
; clipboard:=sympyComServer.parExprN("1+3*7")
clipboard:=sympyComServer.parExprN("1/3 + 1/2")
$#s::
clipboard:=sympyComServer.parExprN(clipboard)
return
f3::Exitapp

How does the "Module: CLI (argparse)" template in Pydev work?

How does the "Module: CLI (argparse)" template in Pydev (Eclipse) work?
When I run it, it just prints out the usage help and exits, and my code doesn't get executed. As I understand it from usage output, I need to pass a 'path' argument. But I got the same result when setting the path to something.
The template looks as follows:
#!/usr/local/bin/python2.7
# encoding: utf-8
'''
test1.test -- shortdesc
test1.test is a description
It defines classes_and_methods
#author: user_name
#copyright: 2015 organization_name. All rights reserved.
#license: license
#contact: user_email
#deffield updated: Updated
'''
import sys
import os
from argparse import ArgumentParser
from argparse import RawDescriptionHelpFormatter
__all__ = []
__version__ = 0.1
__date__ = '2015-07-31'
__updated__ = '2015-07-31'
DEBUG = 1
TESTRUN = 0
PROFILE = 0
class CLIError(Exception):
'''Generic exception to raise and log different fatal errors.'''
def __init__(self, msg):
super(CLIError).__init__(type(self))
self.msg = "E: %s" % msg
def __str__(self):
return self.msg
def __unicode__(self):
return self.msg
def main(argv=None): # IGNORE:C0111
'''Command line options.'''
if argv is None:
argv = sys.argv
else:
sys.argv.extend(argv)
program_name = os.path.basename(sys.argv[0])
program_version = "v%s" % __version__
program_build_date = str(__updated__)
program_version_message = '%%(prog)s %s (%s)' % (program_version, program_build_date)
program_shortdesc = __import__('__main__').__doc__.split("\n")[1]
program_license = '''%s
Created by user_name on %s.
Copyright 2015 organization_name. All rights reserved.
Licensed under the Apache License 2.0
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Distributed on an "AS IS" basis without warranties
or conditions of any kind, either express or implied.
USAGE
''' % (program_shortdesc, str(__date__))
try:
# Setup argument parser
parser = ArgumentParser(description=program_license, formatter_class=RawDescriptionHelpFormatter)
parser.add_argument("-r", "--recursive", dest="recurse", action="store_true", help="recurse into subfolders [default: %(default)s]")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", dest="verbose", action="count", help="set verbosity level [default: %(default)s]")
parser.add_argument("-i", "--include", dest="include", help="only include paths matching this regex pattern. Note: exclude is given preference over include. [default: %(default)s]", metavar="RE" )
parser.add_argument("-e", "--exclude", dest="exclude", help="exclude paths matching this regex pattern. [default: %(default)s]", metavar="RE" )
parser.add_argument('-V', '--version', action='version', version=program_version_message)
parser.add_argument(dest="paths", help="paths to folder(s) with source file(s) [default: %(default)s]", metavar="path", nargs='+')
# Process arguments
args = parser.parse_args()
paths = args.paths
verbose = args.verbose
recurse = args.recurse
inpat = args.include
expat = args.exclude
if verbose > 0:
print("Verbose mode on")
if recurse:
print("Recursive mode on")
else:
print("Recursive mode off")
if inpat and expat and inpat == expat:
raise CLIError("include and exclude pattern are equal! Nothing will be processed.")
for inpath in paths:
### do something with inpath ###
print(inpath)
return 0
except KeyboardInterrupt:
### handle keyboard interrupt ###
return 0
except Exception, e:
if DEBUG or TESTRUN:
raise(e)
indent = len(program_name) * " "
sys.stderr.write(program_name + ": " + repr(e) + "\n")
sys.stderr.write(indent + " for help use --help")
return 2
if __name__ == "__main__":
if DEBUG:
sys.argv.append("-h")
sys.argv.append("-v")
sys.argv.append("-r")
if TESTRUN:
import doctest
doctest.testmod()
if PROFILE:
import cProfile
import pstats
profile_filename = 'test1.test_profile.txt'
cProfile.run('main()', profile_filename)
statsfile = open("profile_stats.txt", "wb")
p = pstats.Stats(profile_filename, stream=statsfile)
stats = p.strip_dirs().sort_stats('cumulative')
stats.print_stats()
statsfile.close()
sys.exit(0)
sys.exit(main())

In DEBUG mode, the -h added to the sys.argv. That has priority over all other inputs, producing the help message (and exit).
Comment out thE line that adds the -h to DEBUG to see the effect of your arguments (plus v and r).
In other modes (except those defined in the main), the commandline arguments should have effect (i.e. the ones in sys.argv).

You're running in DEBUG mode and all you do in that mode is append stuff to argv:
if DEBUG:
sys.argv.append("-h") # <-- that is your problem
sys.argv.append("-v")
sys.argv.append("-r")
Since you're adding an "unknown" argument, when you run:
args = parser.parse_args()
it raises an exception. You can either solve it by removing that line (preferably), or by using:
parser.parse_known_args([])
(the latter is a patch to hide the underlying issue and should be used with cautious. IMO it shouldn't be used in this case!).

Rally APIs: How to copy Test Folder and member Test Cases

This question was asked by a different user earlier:
Copying Test Cases and Test Folder using Rally Python or Ruby API [closed]
but closed by moderators as being an overly broad question. However, given the inability to copy Test Folders and their member Test Cases within the Rally UI, this is a common need for Rally Users.
Thus - I'll re-pose the question, hopefully with enough detail to stand as a valid question. I'll also re-post the answers that I developed for the original question.
Question: As a Rally user and developer in the Rally Python and Ruby REST APIs: how can I leverage the Rally API toolkits to accomplish this task?

Python:
Here is a script that performs this task - it will copy all Test Cases from a Source Test Folder identified by FormattedID, to a Target Test Folder, also identified by FormattedID. It will copy all Test Steps and Attachments as well. The Target Test Folder must exist, i.e. the script will not create a Test Folder for you if the Target is not found.
The script does not associate the new Test Case to original Test Case's Work Product (i.e. Defect, User Story), or copy Discussion items, Test Case Results, or Last Build, Verdict, etc. as it is assumed the new Test Case is desired to be in a "blank" state.
For those needing to install and configure the Rally Python REST Library:
Rally Developer Portal: Pyral Download and Installation
Pyral Documentation
#!/usr/bin/env python
#################################################################################################
#
# copy_test_folder.py -- Copy all Test Cases in Source Test Folder to Target. Includes Test Steps
# and attachments. Target Test Folder must exist (i.e. the script will not
# create a new targeet Test Folder for you)
#
USAGE = """
Usage: copy_test_folder.py
"""
#################################################################################################
# import needed python libs
import sys, os
import re
import string
import base64
from pprint import pprint
# import needed pyral libs
from pyral import Rally, rallySettings, RallyRESTAPIError
errout = sys.stderr.write
my_server = "rally1.rallydev.com"
my_user = "user#company.com"
my_password = "topsecret"
my_workspace = "My Workspace"
my_project = "My Project"
source_test_folder_formatted_id = "TF1"
target_test_folder_formatted_id = "TF4"
rally = Rally(my_server, my_user, my_password, workspace=my_workspace, project=my_project)
# rally = Rally(my_server, my_user, my_password, workspace=my_workspace, project=my_project, debug=True)
rally.enableLogging('copy_test_folder.log')
# Query for source and target test folders
source_test_folder_response = rally.get('TestFolder', fetch=True, query='FormattedID = %s' % source_test_folder_formatted_id)
target_test_folder_response = rally.get('TestFolder', fetch=True, query='FormattedID = %s' % target_test_folder_formatted_id)
# Check to make sure folders exist
if source_test_folder_response.resultCount == 0:
errout('No Source Test Folder Found matching Formatted ID: %s\n' % (source_test_folder_formatted_id))
sys.exit(4)
if target_test_folder_response.resultCount == 0:
errout('No Target Test Folder Found matching Formatted ID: %s\n. Target Test Folder must be created before copying.' % (target_test_folder_formatted_id))
sys.exit(4)
# Get references to source Test Folder and Test Cases, etc.
source_test_folder = source_test_folder_response.next()
source_test_cases = source_test_folder.TestCases
# Get reference to target Test Folder
target_test_folder = target_test_folder_response.next()
for source_test_case in source_test_cases:
# Create update fields for target Test Case
# Does NOT associate new Test Case to original Test Case's work product (i.e. Defect, User Story)
# Does NOT copy Discussion items - as the old Discussions are likely not desired on new Test Case
# Does NOT copy Last Build, Last Run, Last Update Date, Last Verdict as new Test Case will effectively
# be "blank" and not have any results associated to it
if source_test_case.Owner != None:
target_owner = source_test_case.Owner.ref
else:
target_owner = None
target_test_case_fields = {
"Package": source_test_case.Package,
"Description": source_test_case.Description,
"Method": source_test_case.Method,
"Name": source_test_case.Name,
"Objective": source_test_case.Objective,
"Owner": target_owner,
"PostConditions": source_test_case.PostConditions,
"PreConditions": source_test_case.PreConditions,
"Priority": source_test_case.Priority,
"Project": source_test_case.Project.ref,
"Risk": source_test_case.Risk,
"ValidationInput": source_test_case.ValidationInput,
"ValidationExpectedResult": source_test_case.ValidationExpectedResult,
"TestFolder": target_test_folder.ref,
}
# Create the target test case
try:
target_test_case = rally.create("TestCase", target_test_case_fields)
message = "Copied Source Test Case: " + source_test_case.FormattedID + \
" To: " + target_test_folder.FormattedID + ": " + target_test_folder.Name + \
": " + target_test_case.FormattedID
print message
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)
# Copy Test Steps
# Add Test Case Steps
source_test_case_steps = source_test_case.Steps
for source_step in source_test_case_steps:
target_step_fields = {
"TestCase" : target_test_case.ref,
"StepIndex" : source_step.StepIndex,
"Input" : source_step.Input,
"ExpectedResult" : source_step.ExpectedResult
}
target_test_case_step = rally.put('TestCaseStep', target_step_fields)
print "===> Copied TestCaseStep: %s OID: %s" % (target_test_case_step.StepIndex, target_test_case_step.oid)
# Copy Attachments
source_attachments = rally.getAttachments(source_test_case)
for source_attachment in source_attachments:
# First copy the content
source_attachment_content = source_attachment.Content
target_attachment_content_fields = {
"Content": base64.encodestring(source_attachment_content)
}
try:
target_attachment_content = rally.put('AttachmentContent', target_attachment_content_fields)
print "===> Copied AttachmentContent: %s" % target_attachment_content.ref
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)
# Next copy the attachment object
target_attachment_fields = {
"Name": source_attachment.Name,
"Description": source_attachment.Description,
"Content": target_attachment_content.ref,
"ContentType": source_attachment.ContentType,
"Size": source_attachment.Size,
"Artifact": target_test_case.ref,
"User": source_attachment.User.ref
}
try:
target_attachment = rally.put('Attachment', target_attachment_fields)
print "===> Copied Attachment: %s" % target_attachment.ref
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)
# Copy Tags
source_tags = source_test_case.Tags;
target_tags = list()
for source_tag in source_tags:
target_tags.append({"_ref":source_tag.ref})
target_test_case_fields = {
"FormattedID": target_test_case.FormattedID,
"Tags": target_tags
}
try:
update_response = rally.update('TestCase', target_test_case_fields)
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)

Ruby:
This Ruby script will copy all Test Cases from a Source Test Folder identified by FormattedID, to a Target Test Folder, also identified by FormattedID. It will copy all Test Steps and Attachments as well. The Target Test Folder must exist, i.e. the script will not create a Test Folder for you if the Target is not found.
The script does not associate the new Test Case to original Test Case's Work Product (i.e. Defect, User Story), or copy Discussion items, Test Case Results, or Last Build, Verdict, etc. as it is assumed the new Test Case is desired to be in a "blank" state.
For those needing to install and configure the Ruby REST Toolkit, links are here:
Developer Portal: Rally REST API for Ruby
Github
# Copyright 2002-2012 Rally Software Development Corp. All Rights Reserved.
require 'rally_api'
$my_base_url = "https://rally1.rallydev.com/slm"
$my_username = "user#company.com"
$my_password = "password"
$my_workspace = "My Workspace"
$my_project = "My Project"
$wsapi_version = "1.37"
# Test Folders
$source_test_folder_formatted_id = "TF4"
$target_test_folder_formatted_id = "TF8"
# Load (and maybe override with) my personal/private variables from a file...
my_vars= File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/my_vars.rb"
if FileTest.exist?( my_vars ) then require my_vars end
#==================== Make a connection to Rally ====================
config = {:base_url => $my_base_url}
config[:username] = $my_username
config[:password] = $my_password
config[:workspace] = $my_workspace
config[:project] = $my_project
config[:version] = $wsapi_version
#rally = RallyAPI::RallyRestJson.new(config)
begin
# Lookup source Test Folder
source_test_folder_query = RallyAPI::RallyQuery.new()
source_test_folder_query.type = :testfolder
source_test_folder_query.fetch = true
source_test_folder_query.query_string = "(FormattedID = \"" + $source_test_folder_formatted_id + "\")"
source_test_folder_result = #rally.find(source_test_folder_query)
# Lookup Target Test Folder
target_test_folder_query = RallyAPI::RallyQuery.new()
target_test_folder_query.type = :testfolder
target_test_folder_query.fetch = true
target_test_folder_query.query_string = "(FormattedID = \"" + $target_test_folder_formatted_id + "\")"
target_test_folder_result = #rally.find(target_test_folder_query)
if source_test_folder_result.total_result_count == 0
puts "Source Test Folder: " + $source_test_folder_formatted_id + "not found. Exiting."
exit
end
if target_test_folder_result.total_result_count == 0
puts "Target Test Folder: " + $target_test_folder_formatted_id + "not found. Target must exist before copying."
exit
end
source_test_folder = source_test_folder_result.first()
target_test_folder = target_test_folder_result.first()
# Populate full object for Target Test Folder
full_target_test_folder = target_test_folder.read
# Get Target Project
target_project = full_target_test_folder["Project"]
# Grab collection of Source Test Cases
source_test_cases = source_test_folder["TestCases"]
# Loop through Source Test Cases and Copy to Target
source_test_cases.each do |source_test_case|
# Get full object for Source Test Case
full_source_test_case = source_test_case.read
# Check if there's an Owner
if !full_source_test_case["Owner"].nil?
source_owner = full_source_test_case["Owner"]
else
source_owner = nil
end
# Populate field data from Source to Target
target_test_case_fields = {}
target_test_case_fields["Package"] = full_source_test_case["Package"]
target_test_case_fields["Description"] = full_source_test_case["Description"]
target_test_case_fields["Method"] = full_source_test_case["Method"]
target_test_case_fields["Name"] = full_source_test_case["Name"]
target_test_case_fields["Objective"] = full_source_test_case["Objective"]
target_test_case_fields["Owner"] = source_owner
target_test_case_fields["PostConditions"] = full_source_test_case["PostConditions"]
target_test_case_fields["PreConditions"] = full_source_test_case["PreConditions"]
target_test_case_fields["Priority"] = full_source_test_case["Priority"]
target_test_case_fields["Project"] = target_project
target_test_case_fields["Risk"] = full_source_test_case["Risk"]
target_test_case_fields["ValidationInput"] = full_source_test_case["ValidationInput"]
target_test_case_fields["ValidationExpectedResult"] = full_source_test_case["ValidationExpectedResult"]
target_test_case_fields["Tags"] = full_source_test_case["Tags"]
target_test_case_fields["TestFolder"] = target_test_folder
# Create the Target Test Case
begin
target_test_case = #rally.create(:testcase, target_test_case_fields)
puts "Test Case: #{full_source_test_case["FormattedID"]} successfully copied to #{full_target_test_folder["FormattedID"]}"
rescue => ex
puts "Test Case: #{full_source_test_case["FormattedID"]} not copied due to error"
puts ex
end
# Now Copy Test Steps
# Add Test Case Steps
source_test_case_steps = full_source_test_case["Steps"]
source_test_case_steps.each do |source_test_case_step|
full_source_step = source_test_case_step.read
target_step_fields = {}
target_step_fields["TestCase"] = target_test_case
target_step_fields["StepIndex"] = full_source_step["StepIndex"]
target_step_fields["Input"] = full_source_step["Input"]
target_step_fields["ExpectedResult"] = full_source_step["ExpectedResult"]
begin
target_test_case_step = #rally.create(:testcasestep, target_step_fields)
puts "===> Copied TestCaseStep: #{target_test_case_step["_ref"]}"
rescue => ex
puts "Test Case Step not copied due to error:"
puts ex
end
end
# Now Copy Attachments
source_attachments = full_source_test_case["Attachments"]
source_attachments.each do |source_attachment|
full_source_attachment = source_attachment.read
source_attachment_content = full_source_attachment["Content"]
full_source_attachment_content = source_attachment_content.read
# Create AttachmentContent Object for Target
target_attachment_content_fields = {}
target_attachment_content_fields["Content"] = full_source_attachment_content["Content"]
begin
target_attachment_content = #rally.create(:attachmentcontent, target_attachment_content_fields)
puts "===> Copied AttachmentContent: #{target_attachment_content["_ref"]}"
rescue => ex
puts "AttachmentContent not copied due to error:"
puts ex
end
# Now Create Attachment Container
target_attachment_fields = {}
target_attachment_fields["Name"] = full_source_attachment["Name"]
target_attachment_fields["Description"] = full_source_attachment["Description"]
target_attachment_fields["Content"] = target_attachment_content
target_attachment_fields["ContentType"] = full_source_attachment["ContentType"]
target_attachment_fields["Size"] = full_source_attachment["Size"]
target_attachment_fields["Artifact"] = target_test_case
target_attachment_fields["User"] = full_source_attachment["User"]
begin
target_attachment = #rally.create(:attachment, target_attachment_fields)
puts "===> Copied Attachment: #{target_attachment["_ref"]}"
rescue => ex
puts "Attachment not copied due to error:"
puts ex
end
end
end
end

An improvement of the same Python script that adds the following features
Test Folders (source and destination) are passed in arguments instead of hard coded
Creation is done recursively (i.e. copy Test Folders and Test Cases in it)
Test Cases are replaced if they already exist (based on the Name)
Usage of API Key to connect rather than password
Try 5 times to connect to Rally before giving up
To use it to copy TF10 to TF99 (which already exists): python copy_test_folder TF10 TF99
#!/usr/bin/env python
#################################################################################################
#
# copy_test_folder.py -- Copy all Test Cases in Source Test Folder to Target. Includes Test Steps
# and attachments. Target Test Folder must exist (i.e. the script will not
# create a new targeet Test Folder for you)
#
USAGE = """
Usage: copy_test_folder.py TF_src TF_dest
"""
#################################################################################################
# import needed python libs
import sys, os
import re
import string
import base64
from pprint import pprint
# import needed pyral libs
from pyral import Rally, rallySettings, RallyRESTAPIError
errout = sys.stderr.write
my_server = "rally1.rallydev.com"
my_user = "name#domain.com"
my_password = "<PASSWORD>"
my_workspace = "<WORKSPACE>"
my_project = "<PROJECT>"
my_key = "<API KEY>"
def connect(nb_attempts=5):
'''Connect to Rally'''
global is_connected
global rally
#Connect
if not is_connected and nb_attempts>0:
print "...Attempting to connect to Rally for project %s..." % my_project
try:
# rally = Rally(my_server, my_user, my_password, workspace=my_workspace, project=my_project)
rally = Rally(my_server, apikey=my_key, workspace=my_workspace, project=my_project)
print "Connected to Rally for project %s (%s)" % (my_project, my_workspace)
is_connected=True
rally.enableLogging('copy_test_folder.log')
#Errors during connection (attempting to connect again)
# except Exception, details:
except AttributeError:
if nb_attempts>1:
connect(nb_attempts-1)
else:
errout('Error during connection to Rally (%s)\n' % details)
exit(4)
else: pass
def copyTF(src_TF, dest_TF):
'''Copy Test Cases from one folder into another (including children Test Folders)'''
# List names and FormattedID of existing Test Cases in destination
dest_TCs = dest_TF.TestCases
existing_dest_TC = {tc.Name:tc.FormattedID for tc in dest_TCs}
# Copy Test Cases to destination folder (replace if Test Case with same name exists)
src_TCs = src_TF.TestCases
for src_TC in src_TCs:
# Create update fields for target Test Case
# Does NOT associate new Test Case to original Test Case's WorkProduct (i.e. Defect, User Story)
# Does NOT copy Discussion items - as the old Discussions are likely not desired on new Test Case
# Does NOT copy Last Build, Last Run, Last Update Date, Last Verdict as new Test Case will effectively
# be "blank" and not have any results associated to it
tcName = src_TC.Name
dest_TC_fields = {
"Package": src_TC.Package,
"Description": src_TC.Description,
"Method": src_TC.Method,
"Name": tcName,
"Objective": src_TC.Objective,
"Owner": getattr(src_TC.Owner, 'ref', None),
"PostConditions": src_TC.PostConditions,
"PreConditions": src_TC.PreConditions,
"Priority": src_TC.Priority,
"Project": src_TC.Project.ref,
"Risk": src_TC.Risk,
"ValidationInput": src_TC.ValidationInput,
"ValidationExpectedResult": src_TC.ValidationExpectedResult,
"TestFolder": dest_TF.ref,
}
# Create/Update the target test case
try:
if existing_dest_TC.has_key(tcName):
operation = "Update"
dest_TC_fields['FormattedID'] = existing_dest_TC[tcName]
dest_TC = rally.update("TestCase", dest_TC_fields)
else:
#Create
operation = "Create"
dest_TC = rally.create("TestCase", dest_TC_fields)
message = operation + "d Source Test Case: " + src_TC.FormattedID + \
" To: " + dest_TF.FormattedID + ": " + dest_TF.Name + \
": " + dest_TC.FormattedID
print message
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)
# Copy Test Steps
#Cleared-up all Test Steps in destination if Test Case is updated
if operation == "Update":
dest_TC_steps = dest_TC.Steps
for dest_step in dest_TC_steps:
rally.delete('TestCaseStep', dest_step.oid)
print "===> Cleared all Test Steps"
# Add Test Case Steps
src_TC_steps = src_TC.Steps
for src_step in src_TC_steps:
target_step_fields = {
"TestCase" : dest_TC.ref,
"StepIndex" : src_step.StepIndex,
"Input" : src_step.Input,
"ExpectedResult" : src_step.ExpectedResult
}
dest_TC_step = rally.put('TestCaseStep', target_step_fields)
print "===> Copied TestCaseStep: %s OID: %s" % (dest_TC_step.StepIndex, dest_TC_step.oid)
# Copy Attachments
source_attachments = rally.getAttachments(src_TC)
for source_attachment in source_attachments:
# First copy the content
source_attachment_content = source_attachment.Content
target_attachment_content_fields = {
"Content": base64.encodestring(source_attachment_content)
}
try:
target_attachment_content = rally.put('AttachmentContent', target_attachment_content_fields)
print "===> Copied AttachmentContent: %s" % target_attachment_content.ref
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)
# Next copy the attachment object
target_attachment_fields = {
"Name": source_attachment.Name,
"Description": source_attachment.Description,
"Content": target_attachment_content.ref,
"ContentType": source_attachment.ContentType,
"Size": source_attachment.Size,
"Artifact": dest_TC.ref,
"User": source_attachment.User.ref
}
try:
target_attachment = rally.put('Attachment', target_attachment_fields)
print "===> Copied Attachment: %s" % target_attachment.ref
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)
# Copy Tags
source_tags = src_TC.Tags;
target_tags = list()
for source_tag in source_tags:
target_tags.append({"_ref":source_tag.ref})
dest_TC_fields = {
"FormattedID": dest_TC.FormattedID,
"Tags": target_tags
}
try:
update_response = rally.update('TestCase', dest_TC_fields)
except RallyRESTAPIError, details:
sys.stderr.write('ERROR: %s \n' % details)
sys.exit(2)
# Recursive call for each child Test Folder (after creating it)
src_children_TFs = src_TF.Children
dest_children_TFs = dest_TF.Children
existing_dest_TF = {tf.Name:tf for tf in dest_children_TFs}
for src_child_TF in src_children_TFs:
tfName = src_child_TF.Name
# Create Test Folder if needed
if existing_dest_TF.has_key(tfName):
dest_child_TF = existing_dest_TF[tfName]
else:
target_TF_fields = {
'Name': tfName,
'Parent': dest_TF.ref
}
dest_child_TF = rally.put('TestFolder', target_TF_fields)
print "Created Test folder %s (%s)" % (tfName, dest_child_TF.FormattedID)
# Copy Test Cases of this folder
copyTF(src_child_TF, dest_child_TF)
if '__main__' in __name__:
# Get source and destination test folders
src_TF_formatted_id = sys.argv[1]
dest_TF_formatted_id = sys.argv[2]
# Connect to Rally
global is_connected
is_connected = False
connect(5)
# Query for source and target test folders
global rally
src_TF_response = rally.get('TestFolder', fetch=True, query='FormattedID = %s' % src_TF_formatted_id)
dest_TF_response = rally.get('TestFolder', fetch=True, query='FormattedID = %s' % dest_TF_formatted_id)
# Check to make sure folders exist
if src_TF_response.resultCount == 0:
errout('No Source Test Folder Found matching Formatted ID: %s\n' % (src_TF_formatted_id))
sys.exit(4)
if dest_TF_response.resultCount == 0:
errout('No Target Test Folder Found matching Formatted ID: %s\n. Target Test Folder must be created before copying.' % (dest_TF_formatted_id))
sys.exit(4)
# Get Objects of source and target Test Folders
src_TF = src_TF_response.next()
dest_TF = dest_TF_response.next()
# Copy file
copyTF(src_TF, dest_TF)

Error setting status to empathy with dbus

I'm getting error when I try setting status to empathy with dbus using python,
this is the code I've got from different sources
## getting status from clementine music player
import dbus
# Clementine lives on the Session bus
session_bus = dbus.SessionBus()
# Get Clementine's player object, and then get an interface from that object,
# otherwise we'd have to type out the full interface name on every method call.
player = session_bus.get_object('org.mpris.clementine', '/Player')
iface = dbus.Interface(player, dbus_interface='org.freedesktop.MediaPlayer')
# Call a method on the interface
metadata = iface.GetMetadata()
print metadata["title"]+' - '+metadata["artist"]
status = metadata["title"]+' - '+metadata["artist"]
## the below code is from https://github.com/engla/kupfer/blob/master/kupfer/plugin/empathy.py
import os
import subprocess
import sys
import time
import pynotify as pn
# it takes a long time before empathy is willing to accept statuses
EMPATHY_STARTUP_SECONDS = 20
def show_usage():
print "\nUsage:"
print sys.argv[0], "|".join(_STATUSES.keys())
def set_status(status):
try:
activate(status)
notify_set_status(status)
except IndexError:
print "Missing required parameter."
show_usage()
except ValueError as err:
print err
show_usage()
def notify_set_status(status):
success = pn.init("icon-summary-body")
if not success:
raise Error()
# I like this icon, even if it's not relevant
icon = 'notification-keyboard-brightness-low'
pn.Notification("Empathy", "Tried to set status to "+ status, icon).show()
def main():# give empathy some time to start up
set_status(status)
def _(text):
return text
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
# All code below was derived from https://github.com/engla/kupfer/blob/master/kupfer/plugin/empathy.py
ACCOUNTMANAGER_PATH = "/org/freedesktop/Telepathy/AccountManager"
ACCOUNTMANAGER_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.AccountManager"
ACCOUNT_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Account"
CHANNEL_GROUP_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Channel.Interface.Group"
CONTACT_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Connection.Interface.Contacts"
SIMPLE_PRESENCE_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Connection.Interface.SimplePresence"
DBUS_PROPS_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.DBus.Properties"
CHANNELDISPATCHER_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.ChannelDispatcher"
CHANNELDISPATCHER_PATH = "/org/freedesktop/Telepathy/ChannelDispatcher"
CHANNEL_TYPE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Channel.ChannelType"
CHANNEL_TYPE_TEXT = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Channel.Type.Text"
CHANNEL_TARGETHANDLE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Channel.TargetHandle"
CHANNEL_TARGETHANDLETYPE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Channel.TargetHandleType"
EMPATHY_CLIENT_IFACE = "org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Client.Empathy"
EMPATHY_ACCOUNT_KEY = "EMPATHY_ACCOUNT"
EMPATHY_CONTACT_ID = "EMPATHY_CONTACT_ID"
_ATTRIBUTES = {
'alias': 'org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Connection.Interface.Aliasing/alias',
'presence': 'org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Connection.Interface.SimplePresence/presence',
'contact_caps': 'org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Connection.Interface.ContactCapabilities.DRAFT/caps',
'jid': 'org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Connection/contact-id',
'caps': 'org.freedesktop.Telepathy.Connection.Interface.Capabilities/caps',
}
def _create_dbus_connection():
sbus = dbus.SessionBus()
proxy_obj = sbus.get_object(ACCOUNTMANAGER_IFACE, ACCOUNTMANAGER_PATH)
dbus_iface = dbus.Interface(proxy_obj, DBUS_PROPS_IFACE)
return dbus_iface
def activate(status):
bus = dbus.SessionBus()
interface = _create_dbus_connection()
for valid_account in interface.Get(ACCOUNTMANAGER_IFACE, "ValidAccounts"):
account = bus.get_object(ACCOUNTMANAGER_IFACE, valid_account)
connection_status = account.Get(ACCOUNT_IFACE, "ConnectionStatus")
if connection_status != 0:
continue
connection_path = account.Get(ACCOUNT_IFACE, "Connection")
connection_iface = connection_path.replace("/", ".")[1:]
connection = bus.get_object(connection_iface, connection_path)
simple_presence = dbus.Interface(connection, SIMPLE_PRESENCE_IFACE)
try:
simple_presence.SetPresence(status, _(status))
except dbus.exceptions.DBusException:
print(status + ' is not supported by ' + valid_account)
print simple_presence
main()
when I run this script,
I get the following error.
phanindra#phanindra:~$ python clementine.py
onelove - Blue
(clementine.py:6142): Gtk-WARNING **: Unable to locate theme engine in module_path: "pixmap",
onelove - Blue is not supported by /org/freedesktop/Telepathy/Account/gabble/jabber/abcd_40gmail_2ecom0
I did something wrong? or the functions are deprecated?

Try this to update the status of Empathy with the current track playing in Clementine:
import dbus
session_bus = dbus.SessionBus()
player = session_bus.get_object('org.mpris.clementine', '/Player')
iface = dbus.Interface(player, dbus_interface='org.freedesktop.MediaPlayer')
metadata = iface.GetMetadata()
status = "♫ ".decode('utf8')+metadata["title"]+' - '+metadata["album"]+" ♫".decode('utf8')
print status
from gi.repository import TelepathyGLib as Tp
from gi.repository import GObject
loop = GObject.MainLoop()
am = Tp.AccountManager.dup()
am.prepare_async(None, lambda *args: loop.quit(), None)
loop.run()
am.set_all_requested_presences(Tp.ConnectionPresenceType.AVAILABLE,
'available', status)
Thank you for updating the Format in my original post !
- Harsha

Here is the API specification for the SimplePresence API's SetPresence call: http://telepathy.freedesktop.org/spec/Connection_Interface_Simple_Presence.html#Method:SetPresence
I think the problem is that you're trying to set the presence to an invalid status - you are only allow to set the status to one which the connection manager recognises - e.g. Available. You can set whatever you like for the message.
So your code should read something like:
simple_presence.SetPresence("Available", status)

Reading the target of a .lnk file in Python?

I'm trying to read the target file/directory of a shortcut (.lnk) file from Python. Is there a headache-free way to do it? The spec is way over my head.
I don't mind using Windows-only APIs.
My ultimate goal is to find the "(My) Videos" folder on Windows XP and Vista. On XP, by default, it's at %HOMEPATH%\My Documents\My Videos, and on Vista it's %HOMEPATH%\Videos. However, the user can relocate this folder. In the case, the %HOMEPATH%\Videos folder ceases to exists and is replaced by %HOMEPATH%\Videos.lnk which points to the new "My Videos" folder. And I want its absolute location.

Create a shortcut using Python (via WSH)
import sys
import win32com.client
shell = win32com.client.Dispatch("WScript.Shell")
shortcut = shell.CreateShortCut("t:\\test.lnk")
shortcut.Targetpath = "t:\\ftemp"
shortcut.save()
Read the Target of a Shortcut using Python (via WSH)
import sys
import win32com.client
shell = win32com.client.Dispatch("WScript.Shell")
shortcut = shell.CreateShortCut("t:\\test.lnk")
print(shortcut.Targetpath)

I know this is an older thread but I feel that there isn't much information on the method that uses the link specification as noted in the original question.
My shortcut target implementation could not use the win32com module and after a lot of searching, decided to come up with my own. Nothing else seemed to accomplish what I needed under my restrictions. Hopefully this will help other folks in this same situation.
It uses the binary structure Microsoft has provided for MS-SHLLINK.
import struct
path = 'myfile.txt.lnk'
target = ''
with open(path, 'rb') as stream:
content = stream.read()
# skip first 20 bytes (HeaderSize and LinkCLSID)
# read the LinkFlags structure (4 bytes)
lflags = struct.unpack('I', content[0x14:0x18])[0]
position = 0x18
# if the HasLinkTargetIDList bit is set then skip the stored IDList
# structure and header
if (lflags & 0x01) == 1:
position = struct.unpack('H', content[0x4C:0x4E])[0] + 0x4E
last_pos = position
position += 0x04
# get how long the file information is (LinkInfoSize)
length = struct.unpack('I', content[last_pos:position])[0]
# skip 12 bytes (LinkInfoHeaderSize, LinkInfoFlags, and VolumeIDOffset)
position += 0x0C
# go to the LocalBasePath position
lbpos = struct.unpack('I', content[position:position+0x04])[0]
position = last_pos + lbpos
# read the string at the given position of the determined length
size= (length + last_pos) - position - 0x02
temp = struct.unpack('c' * size, content[position:position+size])
target = ''.join([chr(ord(a)) for a in temp])

Alternatively, you could try using SHGetFolderPath(). The following code might work, but I'm not on a Windows machine right now so I can't test it.
import ctypes
shell32 = ctypes.windll.shell32
# allocate MAX_PATH bytes in buffer
video_folder_path = ctypes.create_string_buffer(260)
# 0xE is CSIDL_MYVIDEO
# 0 is SHGFP_TYPE_CURRENT
# If you want a Unicode path, use SHGetFolderPathW instead
if shell32.SHGetFolderPathA(None, 0xE, None, 0, video_folder_path) >= 0:
# success, video_folder_path now contains the correct path
else:
# error

Basically call the Windows API directly. Here is a good example found after Googling:
import os, sys
import pythoncom
from win32com.shell import shell, shellcon
shortcut = pythoncom.CoCreateInstance (
shell.CLSID_ShellLink,
None,
pythoncom.CLSCTX_INPROC_SERVER,
shell.IID_IShellLink
)
desktop_path = shell.SHGetFolderPath (0, shellcon.CSIDL_DESKTOP, 0, 0)
shortcut_path = os.path.join (desktop_path, "python.lnk")
persist_file = shortcut.QueryInterface (pythoncom.IID_IPersistFile)
persist_file.Load (shortcut_path)
shortcut.SetDescription ("Updated Python %s" % sys.version)
mydocs_path = shell.SHGetFolderPath (0, shellcon.CSIDL_PERSONAL, 0, 0)
shortcut.SetWorkingDirectory (mydocs_path)
persist_file.Save (shortcut_path, 0)
This is from http://timgolden.me.uk/python/win32_how_do_i/create-a-shortcut.html.
You can search for "python ishelllink" for other examples.
Also, the API reference helps too: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb774950(VS.85).aspx

I also realize this question is old, but I found the answers to be most relevant to my situation.
Like Jared's answer, I also could not use the win32com module. So Jared's use of the binary structure from MS-SHLLINK got me part of the way there. I needed read shortcuts on both Windows and Linux, where the shortcuts are created on a samba share by Windows. Jared's implementation didn't quite work for me, I think only because I encountered some different variations on the shortcut format. But, it gave me the start I needed (thanks Jared).
So, here is a class named MSShortcut which expands on Jared's approach. However, the implementation is only Python3.4 and above, due to using some pathlib features added in Python3.4
#!/usr/bin/python3
# Link Format from MS: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd871305.aspx
# Need to be able to read shortcut target from .lnk file on linux or windows.
# Original inspiration from: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/397125/reading-the-target-of-a-lnk-file-in-python
from pathlib import Path, PureWindowsPath
import struct, sys, warnings
if sys.hexversion < 0x03040000:
warnings.warn("'{}' module requires python3.4 version or above".format(__file__), ImportWarning)
# doc says class id =
# 00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046
# requiredCLSID = b'\x00\x02\x14\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\xC0\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x46'
# Actually Getting:
requiredCLSID = b'\x01\x14\x02\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\xC0\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x46' # puzzling
class ShortCutError(RuntimeError):
pass
class MSShortcut():
"""
interface to Microsoft Shortcut Objects. Purpose:
- I need to be able to get the target from a samba shared on a linux machine
- Also need to get access from a Windows machine.
- Need to support several forms of the shortcut, as they seem be created differently depending on the
creating machine.
- Included some 'flag' types in external interface to help test differences in shortcut types
Args:
scPath (str): path to shortcut
Limitations:
- There are some omitted object properties in the implementation.
Only implemented / tested enough to recover the shortcut target information. Recognized omissions:
- LinkTargetIDList
- VolumeId structure (if captured later, should be a separate class object to hold info)
- Only captured environment block from extra data
- I don't know how or when some of the shortcut information is used, only captured what I recognized,
so there may be bugs related to use of the information
- NO shortcut update support (though might be nice)
- Implementation requires python 3.4 or greater
- Tested only with Unicode data on a 64bit little endian machine, did not consider potential endian issues
Not Debugged:
- localBasePath - didn't check if parsed correctly or not.
- commonPathSuffix
- commonNetworkRelativeLink
"""
def __init__(self, scPath):
"""
Parse and keep shortcut properties on creation
"""
self.scPath = Path(scPath)
self._clsid = None
self._lnkFlags = None
self._lnkInfoFlags = None
self._localBasePath = None
self._commonPathSuffix = None
self._commonNetworkRelativeLink = None
self._name = None
self._relativePath = None
self._workingDir = None
self._commandLineArgs = None
self._iconLocation = None
self._envTarget = None
self._ParseLnkFile(self.scPath)
#property
def clsid(self):
return self._clsid
#property
def lnkFlags(self):
return self._lnkFlags
#property
def lnkInfoFlags(self):
return self._lnkInfoFlags
#property
def localBasePath(self):
return self._localBasePath
#property
def commonPathSuffix(self):
return self._commonPathSuffix
#property
def commonNetworkRelativeLink(self):
return self._commonNetworkRelativeLink
#property
def name(self):
return self._name
#property
def relativePath(self):
return self._relativePath
#property
def workingDir(self):
return self._workingDir
#property
def commandLineArgs(self):
return self._commandLineArgs
#property
def iconLocation(self):
return self._iconLocation
#property
def envTarget(self):
return self._envTarget
#property
def targetPath(self):
"""
Args:
woAnchor (bool): remove the anchor (\\server\path or drive:) from returned path.
Returns:
a libpath PureWindowsPath object for combined workingDir/relative path
or the envTarget
Raises:
ShortCutError when no target path found in Shortcut
"""
target = None
if self.workingDir:
target = PureWindowsPath(self.workingDir)
if self.relativePath:
target = target / PureWindowsPath(self.relativePath)
else: target = None
if not target and self.envTarget:
target = PureWindowsPath(self.envTarget)
if not target:
raise ShortCutError("Unable to retrieve target path from MS Shortcut: shortcut = {}"
.format(str(self.scPath)))
return target
#property
def targetPathWOAnchor(self):
tp = self.targetPath
return tp.relative_to(tp.anchor)
def _ParseLnkFile(self, lnkPath):
with lnkPath.open('rb') as f:
content = f.read()
# verify size (4 bytes)
hdrSize = struct.unpack('I', content[0x00:0x04])[0]
if hdrSize != 0x4C:
raise ShortCutError("MS Shortcut HeaderSize = {}, but required to be = {}: shortcut = {}"
.format(hdrSize, 0x4C, str(lnkPath)))
# verify LinkCLSID id (16 bytes)
self._clsid = bytes(struct.unpack('B'*16, content[0x04:0x14]))
if self._clsid != requiredCLSID:
raise ShortCutError("MS Shortcut ClassID = {}, but required to be = {}: shortcut = {}"
.format(self._clsid, requiredCLSID, str(lnkPath)))
# read the LinkFlags structure (4 bytes)
self._lnkFlags = struct.unpack('I', content[0x14:0x18])[0]
#logger.debug("lnkFlags=0x%0.8x" % self._lnkFlags)
position = 0x4C
# if HasLinkTargetIDList bit, then position to skip the stored IDList structure and header
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x01):
idListSize = struct.unpack('H', content[position:position+0x02])[0]
position += idListSize + 2
# if HasLinkInfo, then process the linkinfo structure
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x02):
(linkInfoSize, linkInfoHdrSize, self._linkInfoFlags,
volIdOffset, localBasePathOffset,
cmnNetRelativeLinkOffset, cmnPathSuffixOffset) = struct.unpack('IIIIIII', content[position:position+28])
# check for optional offsets
localBasePathOffsetUnicode = None
cmnPathSuffixOffsetUnicode = None
if linkInfoHdrSize >= 0x24:
(localBasePathOffsetUnicode, cmnPathSuffixOffsetUnicode) = struct.unpack('II', content[position+28:position+36])
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % linkInfoSize)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % linkInfoHdrSize)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % self._linkInfoFlags)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % volIdOffset)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % localBasePathOffset)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % cmnNetRelativeLinkOffset)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % cmnPathSuffixOffset)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % localBasePathOffsetUnicode)
#logger.debug("0x%0.8X" % cmnPathSuffixOffsetUnicode)
# if info has a localBasePath
if (self._linkInfoFlags & 0x01):
bpPosition = position + localBasePathOffset
# not debugged - don't know if this works or not
self._localBasePath = UnpackZ('z', content[bpPosition:])[0].decode('ascii')
#logger.debug("localBasePath: {}".format(self._localBasePath))
if localBasePathOffsetUnicode:
bpPosition = position + localBasePathOffsetUnicode
self._localBasePath = UnpackUnicodeZ('z', content[bpPosition:])[0]
self._localBasePath = self._localBasePath.decode('utf-16')
#logger.debug("localBasePathUnicode: {}".format(self._localBasePath))
# get common Path Suffix
cmnSuffixPosition = position + cmnPathSuffixOffset
self._commonPathSuffix = UnpackZ('z', content[cmnSuffixPosition:])[0].decode('ascii')
#logger.debug("commonPathSuffix: {}".format(self._commonPathSuffix))
if cmnPathSuffixOffsetUnicode:
cmnSuffixPosition = position + cmnPathSuffixOffsetUnicode
self._commonPathSuffix = UnpackUnicodeZ('z', content[cmnSuffixPosition:])[0]
self._commonPathSuffix = self._commonPathSuffix.decode('utf-16')
#logger.debug("commonPathSuffix: {}".format(self._commonPathSuffix))
# check for CommonNetworkRelativeLink
if (self._linkInfoFlags & 0x02):
relPosition = position + cmnNetRelativeLinkOffset
self._commonNetworkRelativeLink = CommonNetworkRelativeLink(content, relPosition)
position += linkInfoSize
# If HasName
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x04):
(position, self._name) = self.readStringObj(content, position)
#logger.debug("name: {}".format(self._name))
# get relative path string
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x08):
(position, self._relativePath) = self.readStringObj(content, position)
#logger.debug("relPath='{}'".format(self._relativePath))
# get working dir string
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x10):
(position, self._workingDir) = self.readStringObj(content, position)
#logger.debug("workingDir='{}'".format(self._workingDir))
# get command line arguments
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x20):
(position, self._commandLineArgs) = self.readStringObj(content, position)
#logger.debug("commandLineArgs='{}'".format(self._commandLineArgs))
# get icon location
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x40):
(position, self._iconLocation) = self.readStringObj(content, position)
#logger.debug("iconLocation='{}'".format(self._iconLocation))
# look for environment properties
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x200):
while True:
size = struct.unpack('I', content[position:position+4])[0]
#logger.debug("blksize=%d" % size)
if size==0: break
signature = struct.unpack('I', content[position+4:position+8])[0]
#logger.debug("signature=0x%0.8x" % signature)
# EnvironmentVariableDataBlock
if signature == 0xA0000001:
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x80): # unicode
self._envTarget = UnpackUnicodeZ('z', content[position+268:])[0]
self._envTarget = self._envTarget.decode('utf-16')
else:
self._envTarget = UnpackZ('z', content[position+8:])[0].decode('ascii')
#logger.debug("envTarget='{}'".format(self._envTarget))
position += size
def readStringObj(self, scContent, position):
"""
returns:
tuple: (newPosition, string)
"""
strg = ''
size = struct.unpack('H', scContent[position:position+2])[0]
#logger.debug("workingDirSize={}".format(size))
if (self._lnkFlags & 0x80): # unicode
size *= 2
strg = struct.unpack(str(size)+'s', scContent[position+2:position+2+size])[0]
strg = strg.decode('utf-16')
else:
strg = struct.unpack(str(size)+'s', scContent[position+2:position+2+size])[0].decode('ascii')
#logger.debug("strg='{}'".format(strg))
position += size + 2 # 2 bytes to account for CountCharacters field
return (position, strg)
class CommonNetworkRelativeLink():
def __init__(self, scContent, linkContentPos):
self._networkProviderType = None
self._deviceName = None
self._netName = None
(linkSize, flags, netNameOffset,
devNameOffset, self._networkProviderType) = struct.unpack('IIIII', scContent[linkContentPos:linkContentPos+20])
#logger.debug("netnameOffset = {}".format(netNameOffset))
if netNameOffset > 0x014:
(netNameOffsetUnicode, devNameOffsetUnicode) = struct.unpack('II', scContent[linkContentPos+20:linkContentPos+28])
#logger.debug("netnameOffsetUnicode = {}".format(netNameOffsetUnicode))
self._netName = UnpackUnicodeZ('z', scContent[linkContentPos+netNameOffsetUnicode:])[0]
self._netName = self._netName.decode('utf-16')
self._deviceName = UnpackUnicodeZ('z', scContent[linkContentPos+devNameOffsetUnicode:])[0]
self._deviceName = self._deviceName.decode('utf-16')
else:
self._netName = UnpackZ('z', scContent[linkContentPos+netNameOffset:])[0].decode('ascii')
self._deviceName = UnpackZ('z', scContent[linkContentPos+devNameOffset:])[0].decode('ascii')
#property
def deviceName(self):
return self._deviceName
#property
def netName(self):
return self._netName
#property
def networkProviderType(self):
return self._networkProviderType
def UnpackZ (fmt, buf) :
"""
Unpack Null Terminated String
"""
#logger.debug(bytes(buf))
while True :
pos = fmt.find ('z')
if pos < 0 :
break
z_start = struct.calcsize (fmt[:pos])
z_len = buf[z_start:].find(b'\0')
#logger.debug(z_len)
fmt = '%s%dsx%s' % (fmt[:pos], z_len, fmt[pos+1:])
#logger.debug("fmt='{}', len={}".format(fmt, z_len))
fmtlen = struct.calcsize(fmt)
return struct.unpack (fmt, buf[0:fmtlen])
def UnpackUnicodeZ (fmt, buf) :
"""
Unpack Null Terminated String
"""
#logger.debug(bytes(buf))
while True :
pos = fmt.find ('z')
if pos < 0 :
break
z_start = struct.calcsize (fmt[:pos])
# look for null bytes by pairs
z_len = 0
for i in range(z_start,len(buf),2):
if buf[i:i+2] == b'\0\0':
z_len = i-z_start
break
fmt = '%s%dsxx%s' % (fmt[:pos], z_len, fmt[pos+1:])
# logger.debug("fmt='{}', len={}".format(fmt, z_len))
fmtlen = struct.calcsize(fmt)
return struct.unpack (fmt, buf[0:fmtlen])
I hope this helps others as well.
Thanks

I didn't really like any of the answers available because I didn't want to keep importing more and more libraries and the 'shell' option was spotty on my test machines. I opted for reading the ".lnk" in and then using a regular expression to read out the path. For my purposes, I am looking for pdf files that were recently opened and then reading the content of those files:
# Example file path to the shortcut
shortcut = "shortcutFileName.lnk"
# Open the lnk file using the ISO-8859-1 encoder to avoid errors for special characters
lnkFile = open(shortcut, 'r', encoding = "ISO-8859-1")
# Use a regular expression to parse out the pdf file on C:\
filePath = re.findall("C:.*?pdf", lnkFile.read(), flags=re.DOTALL)
# Close File
lnkFile.close()
# Read the pdf at the lnk Target
pdfFile = open(tmpFilePath[0], 'rb')
Comments:
Obviously this works for pdf but needs to specify other file extensions accordingly.

It's easy as opening ".exe" file. Here also, we are going to use the os module for this. You just have to create a shortcut .lnk and store it in any folder of your choice. Then, in any Python file, first import the os module (already installed, just import). Then, use a variable, say path, and assign it a string value containing the location of your .lnk file. Just create a shortcut of your desired application. At last, we will use os.startfile()
to open our shortcut.
Points to remember:
The location should be within double inverted commas.
Most important, open Properties. Then, under that, open "Details". There, you can get the exact name of your shortcut. Please write that name with ".lnk" at last.
Now, you have completed the procedure. I hope it helps you. For additional assistance, I am leaving my code for this at the bottom.
import os
path = "C:\\Users\\hello\\OneDrive\\Desktop\\Shortcuts\\OneNote for Windows 10.lnk"
os.startfile(path)
In my code, I used path as variable and I had created a shortcut for OneNote. In path, I defined the location of OneNote's shortcut. So when I use os.startfile(path), the os module is going to open my shortcut file defined in variable path.

this job is possible without any modules, doing this will return a b string having the destination of the shortcut file. Basically what you do is you open the file in read binary mode (rb mode). This is the code to accomplish this task:
with open('programs.lnk - Copy','rb') as f:
destination=f.read()
i am currently using python 3.9.2, in case you face problems with this, just tell me and i will try to fix it.

A more stable solution in python, using powershell to read the target path from the .lnk file.
using only standard libraries avoids introducing extra dependencies such as win32com
this approach works with the .lnks that failed with jared's answer, more details
we avoid directly reading the file, which felt hacky, and sometimes failed
import subprocess
def get_target(link_path) -> (str, str):
"""
Get the target & args of a Windows shortcut (.lnk)
:param link_path: The Path or string-path to the shortcut, e.g. "C:\\Users\\Public\\Desktop\\My Shortcut.lnk"
:return: A tuple of the target and arguments, e.g. ("C:\\Program Files\\My Program.exe", "--my-arg")
"""
# get_target implementation by hannes, https://gist.github.com/Winand/997ed38269e899eb561991a0c663fa49
ps_command = \
"$WSShell = New-Object -ComObject Wscript.Shell;" \
"$Shortcut = $WSShell.CreateShortcut(\"" + str(link_path) + "\"); " \
"Write-Host $Shortcut.TargetPath ';' $shortcut.Arguments "
output = subprocess.run(["powershell.exe", ps_command], capture_output=True)
raw = output.stdout.decode('utf-8')
launch_path, args = [x.strip() for x in raw.split(';', 1)]
return launch_path, args
# to test
shortcut_file = r"C:\Users\REPLACE_WITH_USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Accessibility\Narrator.lnk"
a, args = get_target(shortcut_file)
print(a) # C:\WINDOWS\system32\narrator.exe
(you can remove -> typehinting to get it to work in older python versions)
I did notice this is slow when running on lots of shortcuts. You could use jareds method, check if the result is None, and if so, run this code to get the target path.

The nice approach with direct regex-based parsing (proposed in the answer) didn't work reliable for all shortcuts in my case. Some of them have only relative path like ..\\..\\..\\..\\..\\..\\Program Files\\ImageGlass\\ImageGlass.exe (produced by msi-installer), and it is stored with wide chars, which are tricky to handle in Python.
So I've discovered a Python module LnkParse3, which is easy to use and meets my needs.
Here is a sample script to show target of a lnk-file passed as first argument:
import LnkParse3
import sys
with open(sys.argv[1], 'rb') as indata:
lnk = LnkParse3.lnk_file(indata)
print(lnk.lnk_command)

I arrived at this thread looking for a way to parse a ".lnk" file and get the target file name.
I found another very simple solution:
pip install comtypes
Then
from comtypes.client import CreateObject
from comtypes.persist import IPersistFile
from comtypes.shelllink import ShellLink
# MAKE SURE THIS VAT CONTAINS A STRING AND NOT AN OBJECT OF 'PATH'
# I spent too much time figuring out the problem with .load(..) function ahead
pathStr="c:\folder\yourlink.lnk"
s = CreateObject(ShellLink)
p = s.QueryInterface(IPersistFile)
p.Load(pathStr, False)
print(s.GetPath())
print(s.GetArguments())
print(s.GetWorkingDirectory())
print(s.GetIconLocation())
try:
# the GetDescription create exception in some of the links
print(s.GetDescription())
except Exception as e:
print(e)
print(s.Hotkey)
print(s.ShowCmd)
Based on this great answer...
https://stackoverflow.com/a/43856809/2992810