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running a python script from startup to shutdown

I am using python 3. On windows 7.
I recently made a python keylogger. It saves the keylogs in a text file as i type and upon pressing WIDOWS Key it sends the text from the textfile to my gmail account using smtplib.
I have to manually start the python file and it gets quite boring!
What my question is that is there any way to run that keylogger script on startup (without manually putting it in the startup folder -- because i want the script to do everything itself), and then to quickly close the script as soon as the user presses the shutdown button (and delay the shutdown time somehow).
The reason i want this is because i belive that a keylogger must be hidden from the user not to include that it must be hidden from the antivirus ;)
i have tested this with python task scheduler but it only takes time parameters (i.e. from 5:00 to 7:00) not the startup and shutdown time.
If i am to include more information on this topic that you need to solve this question i will gladly help you!
Thanks in advance

How to detach Python debugger in VS Code and let the code finish running?

I like running almost everything Python in the VS Code debugger, as it gives me a perfect way to inspect
variables when hitting unexpected exceptions.
However, once I decide that I want to continue running the code in the background, I see no way of achieving that in VS Code. I can only stop the code completely and re-run, which is often not what I want. In particular, I would like to detach from code when using VS Code Remote SSH, e.g., to reboot my computer that is running the GUI while letting the server in the background finish some computation.
So, how can I detach the debugger from code that was started in VS Code using ptvsd without stopping the code?

The Disconnect option (for a debug session, not for SSH) will be more visible with VSCode 1.56 (April 2021)strong text
See issue 116731:
(in the last part I am holding down the alt key).
With a "launch" request, I see Stop by default, which changes to Disconnect if I hold ALT.
If I click Stop, I get {"seq":3,"type":"request","command":"disconnect","arguments":{"terminateDebuggee":true}}
If I click Disconnect, I get {"seq":10,"type":"request","command":"disconnect","arguments":{}}
With "attach", the behavior is reversed.
As noted by the OP bers in the comments:
With this release, it is now possible to flip this behavior by pressing the Alt modifier while triggering the command from the Debug toolbar.
Altering the behavior makes it possible to leave the debuggee running for launch type debug sessions, and to terminate the debuggee for attach type debug sessions.
Apart from using Alt with the default commands, it is also possible to access both the Debug: Stop and Debug: Disconnect commands from the Command Palette for both launch and attach debug sessions.
The alternative behavior is only available for debug extensions that have opted in to this feature.

There's a disconnect button you can press in the debugger toolbar (looks like a plug). See step 10 in the remote debugging documentation for a screenshot and more details.

Zenity not working in python script with crontab

I have a python script in which I have used Zenity to display some notification. The code snippet is as follows:
if message_list:
pretty_print(message_list)
os.system("/usr/bin/zenity --notification --text='You have unread messages'")
When I run this script normally, everything works fine i.e. dialog box appears and message gets displayed. But when I schedule this script in crontab nothing appears. Any solution to this?

There is no sane way to run interactive commands from cron. There is no guarantee that there is a user, there is no guarantee that there is a single user, there is no guarantee that the user(s) who are on want to, or are even able to, interact with your software; some of them may be pseudo-users or remote on expensive metered Internet access or just idle or whatever.
The usual solution is a server/client architecture where whatever runs from cron makes its results available via some IPC mechanism, and users who want the results run a client from within their X11 session (or shell, or what have you).

Create a script info.sh (remember to grant it execute rights):
#!/bin/bash
xhost +
/usr/bin/zenity --notification --text='You have unread messages'
And in your script:
if message_list:
pretty_print(message_list)
os.system("./info.sh")
That's if you want to use the solution you mentioned.

Python script will not run in Task Scheduler for "Run whether use is logged on or not"

I have written a python script and wanted to have it run at a set period everyday with the use of Task Scheduler. I have had no problems with Task Scheduler for running programs while logged off, before creating this task.
If I select "Run only when user is logged on" my script runs as expected with the desired result and no error code (0x0).
If I select "Run whether user is logged on or not" with "Run with highest privileges" and then leave it overnight or log off to test it, it does not do anything and has an error code of 0x1.
I have the action to "Start a program" with the Details as follows:
Program/script: C:\Python27\python2.7.exe
Add arguments: "C:\Users\me\Desktop\test.py"
I think it has to do with permissions to use python while logged off but I can't figure this one out. Wondering if anyone has suggestions or experience on this.
This is on Windows 7 (fyi)
Thanks,
JP

I think I have found the solution to this problem. My script is used to create a powerpoint slide deck and needs to open MS PPT.
I stumbled upon a post from another forum with a link to MS's policy on this. It basically boils down to the following:
"Microsoft does not currently recommend, and does not support, Automation of Microsoft Office applications from any unattended, non-interactive client application or component (including ASP, ASP.NET, DCOM, and NT Services), because Office may exhibit unstable behaviour and/or deadlock when Office is run in this environment.
Automating PowerPoint from a scheduled task falls under the unsupported scenario when scheduled task is run with the option "Run whether user logged on or not". But, using it with "Run only when the user is logged on" option falls under the supported category."
From here

I would try it with the script not in your Users directory

I have experience supporting PowerPoint automation under the Task Scheduler by way of a C++ app called p3icli (available on sourceforge). This is the approach I successfully used:
1) Add a command-line (-T) switch that indicates p3icli will run under Task Scheduler.
2) The command-line switch forces p3icli to start an instance of powerpnt.exe using CreateProcess() and then wait X milliseconds for that instance to stabilize.
3) After X milliseconds elapse, p3icli connects to the running PPT instance created in step 2 and processes automation commands.
I would guess that a similar approach can be used with Python.
Task Scheduler compatibility is easily the most troublesome feature I ever added to p3icli. For example, manipulating multiple presentations by changing the active window simply does not work. And as I'm sure you've discovered, debugging problems is no fun at all.
NB: Your python solution must include code that forces PowerPoint to unconditionally close when your python script is complete (modulo a python crash). Otherwise, orphaned instances of PowerPoint will appear in Task Manager.
Click the link for some thoughts on the Task Scheduler from a p3icli point of view.

pause system functionality until my python script is done

I have written a simple python script that runs as soon as a certain user on my linux system logs in. It ask's for a password... however the problem is they just exit out of the terminal or minimize it and continue using the computer. So basically it is a password authentication script. So what I am curious about is how to make the python script stay up and not let them exit or do anything else until they entered the correct password. Is there some module I need to import or some command that can pause the system functions until my python script is done?
Thanks
I am doing it just out of interest and I know a lot could go wrong but I think it would be a fun thing to do. It can even protect 1 specific system process. I am just curious how to pause the system and make the user do the python script before anything else.

There will always be a way for the user to get past your script.
Let's assume for a moment that you actually manage to block the X-server, without blocking input to your program (so the user can still enter the password). The user could just alt-f1 out of the X-server to a console and kill "your weird app". If you manage to block that too he could ssh to the box and kill your app.
There is most certainly no generic way to do something like this; this is what the login commands for the console and the session managers (like gdm) for the graphical display are for: they require a user to enter his password before giving him some form of interactive session. After that, why would you want yet another password to do the same thing? the system is designed to not let users use it without a password (or another form of authentication), but there is no API to let programs block the system whenever they feel like it.

You want the equivalent of a "modal" window, but this is not (directly) possible in a multiuser, multitasking environment.
The next best thing is to prevent the user from accessing the system. For example, if you create an invisible window as large as the display, that will intercept any mouse events, and whatever is "behind" will be unaccessible.
At that point you have the problem of preventing the user from using the keyboard to terminate the application, or to switch to another application, or to another virtual console (this last is maybe the most difficult). So you need to access and lock the keyboard, not only the "standard" keyboard but the low-level keys as well.
And to do this, your application needs to have administrative rights, and yet run in the user environment. Which starts to look like a recipe for disaster, unless you really know what you are doing.
What you want to do should be done through a Pluggable Authentication Module (PAM) that will integrate with your display manager. Maybe, you can find some PAM module that will "outsource" or "callback" some external program, i.e., your Python script.

Since this thing is just for fun, here's a work arond: make the script log the user out if he ignores the prompt for some time, or closes the terminal/kills the process. Here's how it might look like for gnome:
import os
def set_exit_handler(func):
import signal
signal.signal(signal.SIGHUP, func) # on closing the terminal
signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, func) # on killing the process
import atexit
atexit.register(func) # on Ctrl-C, Ctrl-D and other proper exits
if __name__ == "__main__":
def on_exit(a=None, b=None):
print "exit handler triggered"
os.system("gnome-session-quit --logout --no-prompt")
set_exit_handler(on_exit)
print "Enter password:"
raw_input()
# ... some verification/timeout code ...
If the user will now close the terminal or kill the process, he'll be logged out instantaneously :)