check for a running subprocess

[Randall Hopper]

Dirk Moebius:
 |
 |I don't know whether that's a python or unix question, but:
 |
 |How do I check whether a subprocess of the current process is still
 |running? Let's say, the current process is called 'dial' and the
 |subprocess is called 'fetchmail'. The subprocess is not necessarily a
 |_direct_ successor of the current process.

If you know the pid, then see kill(2).  Call kill with a signal of 0.  In
C, the return value is set.  In Python, you'll probably get an OSError
exception if the process doesn't exist.

If you don't know the pid, I would find a way to get it and use the above.

Otherwise you have to resort to ugly popen( "ps -psargs" ) or /proc tricks
which are system-specific.

Though, if you have only one target OS with no chance of porting, then the
latter may be reasonable.

-- 
Randall Hopper
aa8vb at yahoo.com