python shell

[James T. Dennis]

mensanator at aol.com <mensanator at aol.com> wrote:
> On May 16, 12:38 pm, Krypto <krypto.wiz... at gmail.com> wrote:
>> I have been using python shell to test small parts of the big program.
>> What other ways can I use the shell effectively. My mentor told me
>> that you can virtually do anything from testing your program to
>> anything in the shell. Any incite would be useful.

> Yeah? Well tell your mentor he can take his programs and
> his literal interpretaions to the other side of the river!!

> Oh...wait. Did you mean "insight"?

> One thing that covers a LOT of ground is you can run other
> programs from the shell and capture their output (assuming
> the output is text to stdout).

> For example, I can run the program factor!.exe from the
> command line:

> C:\python25\user>factor!.exe 27
> PRIME_FACTOR     3
> PRIME_FACTOR     3
> PRIME_FACTOR     3

> But I can also run it from the Python shell:

>>>> import os
>>>> f = os.popen("factor! 27").readlines()

>>>> f
> ['PRIME_FACTOR     3\n', 'PRIME_FACTOR     3\n', 'PRIME_FACTOR
> 3\n']

>>>> q = [int(i.split()[1]) for i in f]
>>>> q
> [3, 3, 3]

> Now, you've got the factors without having to write your own
> factoring program and you never had to leave the shell.

> What more could you ask for?

 I could ask for some tricks that would let me do things like:

	* os.fork() --- but have that spawned in it's own xterm/shell
	  so I can no interact with each of the children separately

	* Use the curses library --- with the interpreter reading from
	  one shell/xterm and the curses display controlling another
	  one.

 I'm sure they're out there ... and I've love to see pointers to them.




-- 
Jim Dennis,
Starshine: Signed, Sealed, Delivered