how to properly pass literal strings python code to be executed using python -c

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Mon, 28 Feb 2011 10:59:01 -0800, jmoons wrote:

> I need some help figuring out how to execute this python code from
> python -c
> I am have trouble formatting python so that it will execute for another
> app in cmd I understand there maybe other ways to do what I am doing but
> I am limited by the final execution using cmd python -c so please keep
> this in mind.
> I'm limited by the final delivery of code. The python is being called by
> a server that does not have access to any python script file

Let me translate that... 

"I'm having trouble hammering this nail with a screwdriver. Keep in mind 
that I am limited by the requirement that I use a screwdriver, not a 
hammer, to hammer the nail. The nail is being hammered by somebody who 
doesn't have a hammer."

So give them a hammer. Put the code in a text file, call it "main.py" or 
something, and execute "python -m main", or "python -c 'import main'" if 
you prefer.

I don't understand the requirement to avoid storing your code in a file 
-- surely you won't be typing the script into cmd every single time you 
want to run it, so surely it will be stored in a batch file or similar? 
As far as I can tell, the *only* legitimate reason for the requirement is 
to win a bet :) Otherwise, you're just making your life much much harder 
than it needs to be.


[...]
> So this what i have but no worky
> 
> cmdline = "\" import os, shutil \n for root, dirs, files in
> os.walk("+myPath+"):\n \t for file in files: \n \t \t
> os.remove(os.path.join(root, file)) \n \t for dir in dirs: \n \t\t
> shutil.rmtree(os.path.join(root, dir))"


I have no idea what the string handling rules for cmd are, and I'm not 
going to try to guess. This doesn't appear to be a Python problem, it's a 
cmd problem. You need to work out how to correctly quote your string. 
Perhaps try on some Windows forums.


> I have also tried the following
> python -c "import os; import shutil; for root, dirs, files in
> os.walk('+myPath+'): for file in files: os.remove(os.path.join(root,
> file)); for dir in dirs: shutil.rmtree(os.path.join(root, dir))"
> 
> I am still getting error tree(os.path.join(root, dir)) ^ SyntaxError:
> invalid syntax

No you don't. You don't call a function "tree", so you can't be getting 
that error. The actual function you call is shutil.rmtree. Please don't 
retype, summarize, simplify or paraphrase error messages. Copy and paste 
them *exactly* as they are shown, complete with any traceback which is 
printed.


-- 
Steven