I have a python script which will give an output file. I need to feed this output file to a command line program. Is there any way I could call the commandline program and control it to process the file in python?
I tried to run this code
import os
import subprocess
import sys
proc = subprocess.Popen(["program.exe"], stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
proc.communicate(input=sys.argv[1]) #here the filename should be entered
proc.communicate(input=sys.argv[2]) #choice 1
proc.communicate(input=sys.argv[3]) #choice 2
is there any way I could enter the input coming from the commandline. And also though the cmd program opens the interface flickers after i run the code.
Thanks.
Note: platform is windows
Have a look at http://docs.python.org/library/subprocess.html. It's the current way to go when starting external programms. There are many examples and you have to check yourself which one fits your needs best.
You could do os.system(somestr) which lets you execute semestr as a command on the command line. However, this has been scrutinized over time for being insecure, etc (will post a link as soon as I find it).
As a result, it has been conventionally replaced with subprocess.popen
Hope this helps
depending on how much control you need, you might find it easier to use pexpect which makes parsing the output of the program rather easy and can also easily be used to talk to the programs stdin. Check out the website, they have some nice examples.
If your target program is expecting the input on STDIN, you can redirect using pipe:
python myfile.py | someprogram
As I just answered another question regarding subprocess, there is a better alternative!
Please have a look at the great library python sh, it is a full-fledged subprocess interface for Python that allows you to call any program as if it were a function, and more important, it's pleasingly pythonic.
Beside redirecting data stream with pipes, you can also process a command line such as:
mycode.py -o outputfile inputfilename.txt
You must import sys
import sys
and in you main function:
ii=1
infile=None
outfile=None
# let's process the command line
while ii < len(sys.argv):
arg = sys.argv[ii]
if arg == '-o':
ii = ii +1
outfile = sys.argv[ii]
else:
infile=arg
ii = ii +1
Of course, you can add some file checking, etc...
Related
As an example I am trying to "imitate" the behaviour of the following sets of commands is bash:
mkfifo named_pipe
/challenge/embryoio_level103 < named_pipe &
cat > named_pipe
In Python I have tried the following commands:
import os
import subprocess as sp
os.mkfifo("named_pipe",0777) #equivalent to mkfifo in bash..
fw = open("named_pipe",'w')
#at this point the system hangs...
My idea it was to use subprocess.Popen and redirect stdout to fw...
next open named_pipe for reading and giving it as input to cat (still using Popen).
I know it is a simple (and rather stupid) example, but I can't manage to make it work..
How would you implement such simple scenario?
Hello fellow pwn college user! I just solved this level :)
open(path, flags) blocks execution. There are many similar stackoverflow Q&As, but I'll reiterate here. A pipe will not pass data until both ends are opened, which is why the process hangs (only 1 end was opened).
If you want to open without blocking, you may do so on certain operating systems (Unix works, Windows doesn't as far as I'm aware) using os.open with the flag os.O_NONBLOCK. I don't know what consequences there are, but be cautious of opening with nonblocking because you may try reading prematurely and there will be nothing to read (possibly leading to error, etc.).
Also, note that using the integer literal 0777 causes a syntax error, so I assume you mean 0o777 (max permissions), where the preceding 0o indicates octal. The default for os.mkfifo is 0o666, which is identical to 0o777 except for the execute flags, which are useless because pipes cannot be executed. Also, be aware that these permissions might not all be granted and when trying to set to 0o666, the permissions may actually be 0o644 (like in my case). I believe this is due to the umask, which can be changed and is used simply for security purposes, but more info can be found elsewhere.
For the blocking case, you can use the package multiprocessing like so:
import os
import subprocess as sp
from multiprocessing import Process
path='named_pipe'
os.mkfifo(path)
def read(): sp.run("cat", stdin=open(path, "r"))
def write(): sp.run(["echo", "hello world"], stdout=open(path, "w"))
if __name__ == "__main__":
p_read = Process(target=read)
p_write = Process(target=write)
p_read.start()
p_write.start()
p_read.join()
p_write.join()
os.remove(path)
output:
hello world
I am trying to write the codes to run a C executable using Python.
The C program can be run in the terminal just by calling ./myprogram and it will prompt a selection menu, as shown below:
1. Login
2. Register
Now, using Python and subprocess, I write the following codes:
import subprocess
subprocess.run(["./myprogram"])
The Python program runs but it shows nothing (No errors too!). Any ideas why it is happening?
When I tried:
import subprocess
subprocess.run(["ls"])
All the files in that particular directory are showing. So I assume this is right.
You have to open the subprocess like this:
import subprocess
cmd = subprocess.Popen(['./myprogram'], stdin=subprocess.PIPE)
This means that cmd will have a .stdin you can write to; print by default sends output to your Python script's stdout, which has no connection with the subprocess' stdin. So do that:
cmd.stdin.write('1\n') # tell myprogram to select 1
and then quite probably you should:
cmd.stdin.flush() # don't let your input stay in in-memory-buffers
or
cmd.stdin.close() # if you're done with writing to the subprocess.
PS If your Python script is a long-running process on a *nix system and you notice your subprocess has ended but is still displayed as a Z (zombie) process, please check that answer.
Maybe flush stdout?
print("", flush=True,end="")
This question already has answers here:
What is the best way to call a script from another script? [closed]
(16 answers)
Closed 7 years ago.
I want to run a Python script from another Python script. I want to pass variables like I would using the command line.
For example, I would run my first script that would iterate through a list of values (0,1,2,3) and pass those to the 2nd script script2.py 0 then script2.py 1, etc.
I found Stack Overflow question 1186789 which is a similar question, but ars's answer calls a function, where as I want to run the whole script, not just a function, and balpha's answer calls the script but with no arguments. I changed this to something like the below as a test:
execfile("script2.py 1")
But it is not accepting variables properly. When I print out the sys.argv in script2.py it is the original command call to first script "['C:\script1.py'].
I don't really want to change the original script (i.e. script2.py in my example) since I don't own it.
I figure there must be a way to do this; I am just confused how you do it.
Try using os.system:
os.system("script2.py 1")
execfile is different because it is designed to run a sequence of Python statements in the current execution context. That's why sys.argv didn't change for you.
This is inherently the wrong thing to do. If you are running a Python script from another Python script, you should communicate through Python instead of through the OS:
import script1
In an ideal world, you will be able to call a function inside script1 directly:
for i in range(whatever):
script1.some_function(i)
If necessary, you can hack sys.argv. There's a neat way of doing this using a context manager to ensure that you don't make any permanent changes.
import contextlib
#contextlib.contextmanager
def redirect_argv(num):
sys._argv = sys.argv[:]
sys.argv=[str(num)]
yield
sys.argv = sys._argv
with redirect_argv(1):
print(sys.argv)
I think this is preferable to passing all your data to the OS and back; that's just silly.
Ideally, the Python script you want to run will be set up with code like this near the end:
def main(arg1, arg2, etc):
# do whatever the script does
if __name__ == "__main__":
main(sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2], sys.argv[3])
In other words, if the module is called from the command line, it parses the command line options and then calls another function, main(), to do the actual work. (The actual arguments will vary, and the parsing may be more involved.)
If you want to call such a script from another Python script, however, you can simply import it and call modulename.main() directly, rather than going through the operating system.
os.system will work, but it is the roundabout (read "slow") way to do it, as you are starting a whole new Python interpreter process each time for no raisin.
I think the good practice may be something like this;
import subprocess
cmd = 'python script.py'
p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, shell=True)
out, err = p.communicate()
result = out.split('\n')
for lin in result:
if not lin.startswith('#'):
print(lin)
according to documentation
The subprocess module allows you to spawn new processes, connect to their input/output/error pipes, and obtain their return codes. This module intends to replace several older modules and functions:
os.system
os.spawn*
os.popen*
popen2.*
commands.*
Use communicate() rather than .stdin.write, .stdout.read or .stderr.read to avoid deadlocks due to any of the other OS pipe buffers filling up and blocking the child process.
Read Here
SubProcess module:
http://docs.python.org/dev/library/subprocess.html#using-the-subprocess-module
import subprocess
subprocess.Popen("script2.py 1", shell=True)
With this, you can also redirect stdin, stdout, and stderr.
import subprocess
subprocess.call(" python script2.py 1", shell=True)
I am trying to figure out how to mimic passing a file to a program and instead of passing the file pass a python variable that has what information the program needs in it.
The syntax I need to mimic:
msfconsole < setofcommands.txt 2>/dev/null
What I would like to do:
answer = os.system('msfconsole < ' + myvariable + ' 2>/dev/null')
I also would be extremely happy if someone knew how to interact with something like msfconsole over a period of time so that when the msfconsole shell is open I could continually get python to type different commands without have to relaunch a new application for each time I wanted to type a series of commands
Thanks a lot in advance.
Instead, of os.system, you should use subprocess:
import subprocess
p=subprocess.Popen(['msfconsole'], stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
p.communicate(myvariable)
Note that communicate will block until termination. In general, interactive-like communication with another process just via stdin/stdout is a hard problem, since you must know how the other process delimits ends of messages.
In the case of metasploit, you should use the XMLRPC API instead of the interactive tool msfconsole.
I want to spawn (fork?) multiple Python scripts from my program (written in Python as well).
My problem is that I want to dedicate one terminal to each script, because I'll gather their output using pexpect.
I've tried using pexpect, os.execlp, and os.forkpty but neither of them do as I expect.
I want to spawn the child processes and forget about them (they will process some data, write the output to the terminal which I could read with pexpect and then exit).
Is there any library/best practice/etc. to accomplish this job?
p.s. Before you ask why I would write to STDOUT and read from it, I shall say that I don't write to STDOUT, I read the output of tshark.
See the subprocess module
The subprocess module allows you to spawn new processes, connect to their input/output/error pipes, and obtain their return codes. This module intends to replace several other, older modules and functions, such as:
os.system
os.spawn*
os.popen*
popen2.*
commands.*
From Python 3.5 onwards you can do:
import subprocess
result = subprocess.run(['python', 'my_script.py', '--arg1', val1])
if result.returncode != 0:
print('script returned error')
This also automatically redirects stdout and stderr.
I don't understand why you need expect for this. tshark should send its output to stdout, and only for some strange reason would it send it to stderr.
Therefore, what you want should be:
import subprocess
fp= subprocess.Popen( ("/usr/bin/tshark", "option1", "option2"), stdout=subprocess.PIPE).stdout
# now, whenever you are ready, read stuff from fp
You want to dedicate one terminal or one python shell?
You already have some useful answers for Popen and Subprocess, you could also use pexpect if you're already planning on using it anyways.
#for multiple python shells
import pexpect
#make your commands however you want them, this is just one method
mycommand1 = "print 'hello first python shell'"
mycommand2 = "print 'this is my second shell'"
#add a "for" statement if you want
child1 = pexpect.spawn('python')
child1.sendline(mycommand1)
child2 = pexpect.spawn('python')
child2.sendline(mycommand2)
Make as many children/shells as you want and then use the child.before() or child.after() to get your responses.
Of course you would want to add definitions or classes to be sent instead of "mycommand1", but this is just a simple example.
If you wanted to make a bunch of terminals in linux, you just need to replace the 'python' in the pextpext.spawn line
Note: I haven't tested the above code. I'm just replying from past experience with pexpect.