diff -r ffa851df0825 -r 2fb8b9db1c86 symbian-qemu-0.9.1-12/python-2.6.1/Doc/library/commands.rst --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/symbian-qemu-0.9.1-12/python-2.6.1/Doc/library/commands.rst Fri Jul 31 15:01:17 2009 +0100 @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ + +:mod:`commands` --- Utilities for running commands +================================================== + +.. module:: commands + :platform: Unix + :synopsis: Utility functions for running external commands. +.. sectionauthor:: Sue Williams + + +The :mod:`commands` module contains wrapper functions for :func:`os.popen` which +take a system command as a string and return any output generated by the command +and, optionally, the exit status. + +The :mod:`subprocess` module provides more powerful facilities for spawning new +processes and retrieving their results. Using the :mod:`subprocess` module is +preferable to using the :mod:`commands` module. + +.. warning:: + + In 3.x, :func:`getstatus` and two undocumented functions (:func:`mk2arg` and + :func:`mkarg`) have been removed. Also, :func:`getstatusoutput` and + :func:`getoutput` have been moved to the :mod:`subprocess` module. + +The :mod:`commands` module defines the following functions: + + +.. function:: getstatusoutput(cmd) + + Execute the string *cmd* in a shell with :func:`os.popen` and return a 2-tuple + ``(status, output)``. *cmd* is actually run as ``{ cmd ; } 2>&1``, so that the + returned output will contain output or error messages. A trailing newline is + stripped from the output. The exit status for the command can be interpreted + according to the rules for the C function :cfunc:`wait`. + + +.. function:: getoutput(cmd) + + Like :func:`getstatusoutput`, except the exit status is ignored and the return + value is a string containing the command's output. + + +.. function:: getstatus(file) + + Return the output of ``ls -ld file`` as a string. This function uses the + :func:`getoutput` function, and properly escapes backslashes and dollar signs in + the argument. + + .. deprecated:: 2.6 + This function is nonobvious and useless. The name is also misleading in the + presence of :func:`getstatusoutput`. + + +Example:: + + >>> import commands + >>> commands.getstatusoutput('ls /bin/ls') + (0, '/bin/ls') + >>> commands.getstatusoutput('cat /bin/junk') + (256, 'cat: /bin/junk: No such file or directory') + >>> commands.getstatusoutput('/bin/junk') + (256, 'sh: /bin/junk: not found') + >>> commands.getoutput('ls /bin/ls') + '/bin/ls' + >>> commands.getstatus('/bin/ls') + '-rwxr-xr-x 1 root 13352 Oct 14 1994 /bin/ls' + + +.. seealso:: + + Module :mod:`subprocess` + Module for spawning and managing subprocesses. +