python: passing multiple parameters for Popen command

Question

I have spent multiple hours trying to figure out how to pass multiple parameters to python script which is supposed to be executed by subprocess.Popen without any luck.

Script:

command = ['/usr/bin/python', '/tmp/script.py mcl=NULL mtp=data mnm=DS4INST \
          mno=NULL mse=NULL mce=cll01'] 

result = subprocess.Popen(command, stdout = subprocess.PIPE, \
         stderr = subprocess.PIPE)

out, err = result.communicate()

print out, err

I receive following error message:

python: can't open file '/tmp/script.py mcl=NULL mtp=data mnm=DS4INST mno=NULL \
mse=NULL mce=cll01': [Errno 2] No such file or directory

However, when I execute script directly from shell

/usr/bin/python /tmp/script.py mcl=NULL mtp=data mnm=DS4INST mno=NULL \
mse=NULL mce=cll01

I receive desired output and error message isn't generated.

Please advise.

eumiro · Accepted Answer · 2011-12-22 08:52:32Z

6

Try this:

command = ['/usr/bin/python', '/tmp/script.py', 'mcl=NULL', 'mtp=data', 'mnm=DS4INST', 'mno=NULL' 'mse=NULL', 'mce=cll01']

In your code, the second element of command is considered as one single argument and interpreted as:

/usr/bin/python "/tmp/script.py mcl=NULL mtp=data mnm=DS4INST mno=NULL mse=NULL mce=cll01"

so just like a long filename with spaces.

You have to split the arguments into separate elements of the command list.

answered Dec 22, 2011 at 8:52

eumiro

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3 Comments

m1k3y3 Over a year ago

this one, for some reason executes script.py with each parameter separately

eumiro Over a year ago

@m1k3y02 - I would then try a compromise: ['/usr/bin/python', '/tmp/script.py', 'mcl=NULL mtp=data …']

m1k3y3 Over a year ago

it works, but sys.argv recognizes all parameters as one, so there is additional parsing required which I can handle. Thanks a lot.

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