summaryrefslogtreecommitdiffstats
path: root/Lib/subprocess.py
blob: 1b4ef89c155832012565d132bd6893ce8cb3c5ba (plain)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853
854
855
856
857
858
859
860
861
862
863
864
865
866
867
868
869
870
871
872
873
874
875
876
877
878
879
880
881
882
883
884
885
886
887
888
889
890
891
892
893
894
895
896
897
898
899
900
901
902
903
904
905
906
907
908
909
910
911
912
913
914
915
916
917
918
919
920
921
922
923
924
925
926
927
928
929
930
931
932
933
934
935
936
937
938
939
940
941
942
943
944
945
946
947
948
949
950
951
952
953
954
955
956
957
958
959
960
961
962
963
964
965
966
967
968
969
970
971
972
973
974
975
976
977
978
979
980
981
982
983
984
985
986
987
988
989
990
991
992
993
994
995
996
997
998
999
1000
1001
1002
1003
1004
1005
1006
1007
1008
1009
1010
1011
1012
1013
1014
1015
1016
1017
1018
1019
1020
1021
1022
1023
1024
1025
1026
1027
1028
1029
1030
1031
1032
1033
1034
1035
1036
1037
1038
1039
1040
1041
1042
1043
1044
1045
1046
1047
1048
1049
1050
1051
1052
1053
1054
1055
1056
1057
1058
1059
1060
1061
1062
1063
1064
1065
1066
1067
1068
1069
1070
1071
1072
1073
1074
1075
1076
1077
1078
1079
1080
1081
1082
1083
1084
1085
1086
1087
1088
1089
1090
1091
1092
1093
1094
1095
1096
1097
1098
1099
1100
1101
1102
1103
1104
1105
1106
1107
1108
1109
1110
1111
1112
1113
1114
1115
1116
1117
1118
1119
1120
1121
1122
1123
1124
1125
1126
1127
1128
1129
1130
1131
1132
1133
1134
1135
1136
1137
1138
1139
1140
1141
1142
1143
1144
1145
1146
1147
1148
1149
1150
1151
1152
1153
1154
1155
1156
1157
1158
1159
1160
1161
1162
1163
1164
1165
1166
1167
1168
1169
1170
1171
1172
1173
1174
1175
1176
1177
1178
1179
1180
1181
1182
1183
1184
1185
1186
1187
1188
1189
1190
1191
1192
1193
1194
1195
1196
1197
1198
1199
1200
1201
1202
1203
1204
1205
1206
1207
1208
1209
1210
1211
1212
1213
1214
1215
1216
1217
1218
1219
1220
1221
1222
1223
1224
1225
# subprocess - Subprocesses with accessible I/O streams
#
# For more information about this module, see PEP 324.
#
# This module should remain compatible with Python 2.2, see PEP 291.
#
# Copyright (c) 2003-2005 by Peter Astrand <astrand@lysator.liu.se>
#
# Licensed to PSF under a Contributor Agreement.
# See http://www.python.org/2.4/license for licensing details.

r"""subprocess - Subprocesses with accessible I/O streams

This module allows you to spawn processes, connect to their
input/output/error pipes, and obtain their return codes.  This module
intends to replace several other, older modules and functions, like:

os.system
os.spawn*
os.popen*
popen2.*
commands.*

Information about how the subprocess module can be used to replace these
modules and functions can be found below.



Using the subprocess module
===========================
This module defines one class called Popen:

class Popen(args, bufsize=0, executable=None,
            stdin=None, stdout=None, stderr=None,
            preexec_fn=None, close_fds=False, shell=False,
            cwd=None, env=None, universal_newlines=False,
            startupinfo=None, creationflags=0):


Arguments are:

args should be a string, or a sequence of program arguments.  The
program to execute is normally the first item in the args sequence or
string, but can be explicitly set by using the executable argument.

On UNIX, with shell=False (default): In this case, the Popen class
uses os.execvp() to execute the child program.  args should normally
be a sequence.  A string will be treated as a sequence with the string
as the only item (the program to execute).

On UNIX, with shell=True: If args is a string, it specifies the
command string to execute through the shell.  If args is a sequence,
the first item specifies the command string, and any additional items
will be treated as additional shell arguments.

On Windows: the Popen class uses CreateProcess() to execute the child
program, which operates on strings.  If args is a sequence, it will be
converted to a string using the list2cmdline method.  Please note that
not all MS Windows applications interpret the command line the same
way: The list2cmdline is designed for applications using the same
rules as the MS C runtime.

bufsize, if given, has the same meaning as the corresponding argument
to the built-in open() function: 0 means unbuffered, 1 means line
buffered, any other positive value means use a buffer of
(approximately) that size.  A negative bufsize means to use the system
default, which usually means fully buffered.  The default value for
bufsize is 0 (unbuffered).

stdin, stdout and stderr specify the executed programs' standard
input, standard output and standard error file handles, respectively.
Valid values are PIPE, an existing file descriptor (a positive
integer), an existing file object, and None.  PIPE indicates that a
new pipe to the child should be created.  With None, no redirection
will occur; the child's file handles will be inherited from the
parent.  Additionally, stderr can be STDOUT, which indicates that the
stderr data from the applications should be captured into the same
file handle as for stdout.

If preexec_fn is set to a callable object, this object will be called
in the child process just before the child is executed.

If close_fds is true, all file descriptors except 0, 1 and 2 will be
closed before the child process is executed.

if shell is true, the specified command will be executed through the
shell.

If cwd is not None, the current directory will be changed to cwd
before the child is executed.

If env is not None, it defines the environment variables for the new
process.

If universal_newlines is true, the file objects stdout and stderr are
opened as a text files, but lines may be terminated by any of '\n',
the Unix end-of-line convention, '\r', the Macintosh convention or
'\r\n', the Windows convention.  All of these external representations
are seen as '\n' by the Python program.  Note: This feature is only
available if Python is built with universal newline support (the
default).  Also, the newlines attribute of the file objects stdout,
stdin and stderr are not updated by the communicate() method.

The startupinfo and creationflags, if given, will be passed to the
underlying CreateProcess() function.  They can specify things such as
appearance of the main window and priority for the new process.
(Windows only)


This module also defines two shortcut functions:

call(*popenargs, **kwargs):
    Run command with arguments.  Wait for command to complete, then
    return the returncode attribute.

    The arguments are the same as for the Popen constructor.  Example:

    retcode = call(["ls", "-l"])

check_call(*popenargs, **kwargs):
    Run command with arguments.  Wait for command to complete.  If the
    exit code was zero then return, otherwise raise
    CalledProcessError.  The CalledProcessError object will have the
    return code in the returncode attribute.

    The arguments are the same as for the Popen constructor.  Example:

    check_call(["ls", "-l"])

Exceptions
----------
Exceptions raised in the child process, before the new program has
started to execute, will be re-raised in the parent.  Additionally,
the exception object will have one extra attribute called
'child_traceback', which is a string containing traceback information
from the childs point of view.

The most common exception raised is OSError.  This occurs, for
example, when trying to execute a non-existent file.  Applications
should prepare for OSErrors.

A ValueError will be raised if Popen is called with invalid arguments.

check_call() will raise CalledProcessError, if the called process
returns a non-zero return code.


Security
--------
Unlike some other popen functions, this implementation will never call
/bin/sh implicitly.  This means that all characters, including shell
metacharacters, can safely be passed to child processes.


Popen objects
=============
Instances of the Popen class have the following methods:

poll()
    Check if child process has terminated.  Returns returncode
    attribute.

wait()
    Wait for child process to terminate.  Returns returncode attribute.

communicate(input=None)
    Interact with process: Send data to stdin.  Read data from stdout
    and stderr, until end-of-file is reached.  Wait for process to
    terminate.  The optional input argument should be a string to be
    sent to the child process, or None, if no data should be sent to
    the child.

    communicate() returns a tuple (stdout, stderr).

    Note: The data read is buffered in memory, so do not use this
    method if the data size is large or unlimited.

The following attributes are also available:

stdin
    If the stdin argument is PIPE, this attribute is a file object
    that provides input to the child process.  Otherwise, it is None.

stdout
    If the stdout argument is PIPE, this attribute is a file object
    that provides output from the child process.  Otherwise, it is
    None.

stderr
    If the stderr argument is PIPE, this attribute is file object that
    provides error output from the child process.  Otherwise, it is
    None.

pid
    The process ID of the child process.

returncode
    The child return code.  A None value indicates that the process
    hasn't terminated yet.  A negative value -N indicates that the
    child was terminated by signal N (UNIX only).


Replacing older functions with the subprocess module
====================================================
In this section, "a ==> b" means that b can be used as a replacement
for a.

Note: All functions in this section fail (more or less) silently if
the executed program cannot be found; this module raises an OSError
exception.

In the following examples, we assume that the subprocess module is
imported with "from subprocess import *".


Replacing /bin/sh shell backquote
---------------------------------
output=`mycmd myarg`
==>
output = Popen(["mycmd", "myarg"], stdout=PIPE).communicate()[0]


Replacing shell pipe line
-------------------------
output=`dmesg | grep hda`
==>
p1 = Popen(["dmesg"], stdout=PIPE)
p2 = Popen(["grep", "hda"], stdin=p1.stdout, stdout=PIPE)
output = p2.communicate()[0]


Replacing os.system()
---------------------
sts = os.system("mycmd" + " myarg")
==>
p = Popen("mycmd" + " myarg", shell=True)
pid, sts = os.waitpid(p.pid, 0)

Note:

* Calling the program through the shell is usually not required.

* It's easier to look at the returncode attribute than the
  exitstatus.

A more real-world example would look like this:

try:
    retcode = call("mycmd" + " myarg", shell=True)
    if retcode < 0:
        print >>sys.stderr, "Child was terminated by signal", -retcode
    else:
        print >>sys.stderr, "Child returned", retcode
except OSError, e:
    print >>sys.stderr, "Execution failed:", e


Replacing os.spawn*
-------------------
P_NOWAIT example:

pid = os.spawnlp(os.P_NOWAIT, "/bin/mycmd", "mycmd", "myarg")
==>
pid = Popen(["/bin/mycmd", "myarg"]).pid


P_WAIT example:

retcode = os.spawnlp(os.P_WAIT, "/bin/mycmd", "mycmd", "myarg")
==>
retcode = call(["/bin/mycmd", "myarg"])


Vector example:

os.spawnvp(os.P_NOWAIT, path, args)
==>
Popen([path] + args[1:])


Environment example:

os.spawnlpe(os.P_NOWAIT, "/bin/mycmd", "mycmd", "myarg", env)
==>
Popen(["/bin/mycmd", "myarg"], env={"PATH": "/usr/bin"})


Replacing os.popen*
-------------------
pipe = os.popen(cmd, mode='r', bufsize)
==>
pipe = Popen(cmd, shell=True, bufsize=bufsize, stdout=PIPE).stdout

pipe = os.popen(cmd, mode='w', bufsize)
==>
pipe = Popen(cmd, shell=True, bufsize=bufsize, stdin=PIPE).stdin


(child_stdin, child_stdout) = os.popen2(cmd, mode, bufsize)
==>
p = Popen(cmd, shell=True, bufsize=bufsize,
          stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, close_fds=True)
(child_stdin, child_stdout) = (p.stdin, p.stdout)


(child_stdin,
 child_stdout,
 child_stderr) = os.popen3(cmd, mode, bufsize)
==>
p = Popen(cmd, shell=True, bufsize=bufsize,
          stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, stderr=PIPE, close_fds=True)
(child_stdin,
 child_stdout,
 child_stderr) = (p.stdin, p.stdout, p.stderr)


(child_stdin, child_stdout_and_stderr) = os.popen4(cmd, mode, bufsize)
==>
p = Popen(cmd, shell=True, bufsize=bufsize,
          stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, stderr=STDOUT, close_fds=True)
(child_stdin, child_stdout_and_stderr) = (p.stdin, p.stdout)


Replacing popen2.*
------------------
Note: If the cmd argument to popen2 functions is a string, the command
is executed through /bin/sh.  If it is a list, the command is directly
executed.

(child_stdout, child_stdin) = popen2.popen2("somestring", bufsize, mode)
==>
p = Popen(["somestring"], shell=True, bufsize=bufsize
          stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, close_fds=True)
(child_stdout, child_stdin) = (p.stdout, p.stdin)


(child_stdout, child_stdin) = popen2.popen2(["mycmd", "myarg"], bufsize, mode)
==>
p = Popen(["mycmd", "myarg"], bufsize=bufsize,
          stdin=PIPE, stdout=PIPE, close_fds=True)
(child_stdout, child_stdin) = (p.stdout, p.stdin)

The popen2.Popen3 and popen3.Popen4 basically works as subprocess.Popen,
except that:

* subprocess.Popen raises an exception if the execution fails
* the capturestderr argument is replaced with the stderr argument.
* stdin=PIPE and stdout=PIPE must be specified.
* popen2 closes all filedescriptors by default, but you have to specify
  close_fds=True with subprocess.Popen.


"""

import sys
mswindows = (sys.platform == "win32")

import os
import types
import traceback

# Exception classes used by this module.
class CalledProcessError(Exception):
    """This exception is raised when a process run by check_call() returns
    a non-zero exit status.  The exit status will be stored in the
    returncode attribute."""
    def __init__(self, returncode, cmd):
        self.returncode = returncode
        self.cmd = cmd
    def __str__(self):
        return "Command '%s' returned non-zero exit status %d" % (self.cmd, self.returncode)


if mswindows:
    import threading
    import msvcrt
    if 0: # <-- change this to use pywin32 instead of the _subprocess driver
        import pywintypes
        from win32api import GetStdHandle, STD_INPUT_HANDLE, \
                             STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE, STD_ERROR_HANDLE
        from win32api import GetCurrentProcess, DuplicateHandle, \
                             GetModuleFileName, GetVersion
        from win32con import DUPLICATE_SAME_ACCESS, SW_HIDE
        from win32pipe import CreatePipe
        from win32process import CreateProcess, STARTUPINFO, \
                                 GetExitCodeProcess, STARTF_USESTDHANDLES, \
                                 STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW, CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE
        from win32event import WaitForSingleObject, INFINITE, WAIT_OBJECT_0
    else:
        from _subprocess import *
        class STARTUPINFO:
            dwFlags = 0
            hStdInput = None
            hStdOutput = None
            hStdError = None
            wShowWindow = 0
        class pywintypes:
            error = IOError
else:
    import select
    import errno
    import fcntl
    import pickle

__all__ = ["Popen", "PIPE", "STDOUT", "call", "check_call", "CalledProcessError"]

try:
    MAXFD = os.sysconf("SC_OPEN_MAX")
except:
    MAXFD = 256

# True/False does not exist on 2.2.0
try:
    False
except NameError:
    False = 0
    True = 1

_active = []

def _cleanup():
    for inst in _active[:]:
        res = inst.poll(_deadstate=sys.maxint)
        if res is not None and res >= 0:
            try:
                _active.remove(inst)
            except ValueError:
                # This can happen if two threads create a new Popen instance.
                # It's harmless that it was already removed, so ignore.
                pass

PIPE = -1
STDOUT = -2


def call(*popenargs, **kwargs):
    """Run command with arguments.  Wait for command to complete, then
    return the returncode attribute.

    The arguments are the same as for the Popen constructor.  Example:

    retcode = call(["ls", "-l"])
    """
    return Popen(*popenargs, **kwargs).wait()


def check_call(*popenargs, **kwargs):
    """Run command with arguments.  Wait for command to complete.  If
    the exit code was zero then return, otherwise raise
    CalledProcessError.  The CalledProcessError object will have the
    return code in the returncode attribute.

    The arguments are the same as for the Popen constructor.  Example:

    check_call(["ls", "-l"])
    """
    retcode = call(*popenargs, **kwargs)
    cmd = kwargs.get("args")
    if cmd is None:
        cmd = popenargs[0]
    if retcode:
        raise CalledProcessError(retcode, cmd)
    return retcode


def list2cmdline(seq):
    """
    Translate a sequence of arguments into a command line
    string, using the same rules as the MS C runtime:

    1) Arguments are delimited by white space, which is either a
       space or a tab.

    2) A string surrounded by double quotation marks is
       interpreted as a single argument, regardless of white space
       contained within.  A quoted string can be embedded in an
       argument.

    3) A double quotation mark preceded by a backslash is
       interpreted as a literal double quotation mark.

    4) Backslashes are interpreted literally, unless they
       immediately precede a double quotation mark.

    5) If backslashes immediately precede a double quotation mark,
       every pair of backslashes is interpreted as a literal
       backslash.  If the number of backslashes is odd, the last
       backslash escapes the next double quotation mark as
       described in rule 3.
    """

    # See
    # http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/vccelng/htm/progs_12.asp
    result = []
    needquote = False
    for arg in seq:
        bs_buf = []

        # Add a space to separate this argument from the others
        if result:
            result.append(' ')

        needquote = (" " in arg) or ("\t" in arg) or arg == ""
        if needquote:
            result.append('"')

        for c in arg:
            if c == '\\':
                # Don't know if we need to double yet.
                bs_buf.append(c)
            elif c == '"':
                # Double backspaces.
                result.append('\\' * len(bs_buf)*2)
                bs_buf = []
                result.append('\\"')
            else:
                # Normal char
                if bs_buf:
                    result.extend(bs_buf)
                    bs_buf = []
                result.append(c)

        # Add remaining backspaces, if any.
        if bs_buf:
            result.extend(bs_buf)

        if needquote:
            result.extend(bs_buf)
            result.append('"')

    return ''.join(result)


class Popen(object):
    def __init__(self, args, bufsize=0, executable=None,
                 stdin=None, stdout=None, stderr=None,
                 preexec_fn=None, close_fds=False, shell=False,
                 cwd=None, env=None, universal_newlines=False,
                 startupinfo=None, creationflags=0):
        """Create new Popen instance."""
        _cleanup()

        self._child_created = False
        if not isinstance(bufsize, (int, int)):
            raise TypeError("bufsize must be an integer")

        if mswindows:
            if preexec_fn is not None:
                raise ValueError("preexec_fn is not supported on Windows "
                                 "platforms")
            if close_fds:
                raise ValueError("close_fds is not supported on Windows "
                                 "platforms")
        else:
            # POSIX
            if startupinfo is not None:
                raise ValueError("startupinfo is only supported on Windows "
                                 "platforms")
            if creationflags != 0:
                raise ValueError("creationflags is only supported on Windows "
                                 "platforms")

        self.stdin = None
        self.stdout = None
        self.stderr = None
        self.pid = None
        self.returncode = None
        self.universal_newlines = universal_newlines

        # Input and output objects. The general principle is like
        # this:
        #
        # Parent                   Child
        # ------                   -----
        # p2cwrite   ---stdin--->  p2cread
        # c2pread    <--stdout---  c2pwrite
        # errread    <--stderr---  errwrite
        #
        # On POSIX, the child objects are file descriptors.  On
        # Windows, these are Windows file handles.  The parent objects
        # are file descriptors on both platforms.  The parent objects
        # are None when not using PIPEs. The child objects are None
        # when not redirecting.

        (p2cread, p2cwrite,
         c2pread, c2pwrite,
         errread, errwrite) = self._get_handles(stdin, stdout, stderr)

        self._execute_child(args, executable, preexec_fn, close_fds,
                            cwd, env, universal_newlines,
                            startupinfo, creationflags, shell,
                            p2cread, p2cwrite,
                            c2pread, c2pwrite,
                            errread, errwrite)

        if p2cwrite:
            self.stdin = os.fdopen(p2cwrite, 'wb', bufsize)
        if c2pread:
            if universal_newlines:
                self.stdout = os.fdopen(c2pread, 'rU', bufsize)
            else:
                self.stdout = os.fdopen(c2pread, 'rb', bufsize)
        if errread:
            if universal_newlines:
                self.stderr = os.fdopen(errread, 'rU', bufsize)
            else:
                self.stderr = os.fdopen(errread, 'rb', bufsize)


    def _translate_newlines(self, data):
        data = data.replace("\r\n", "\n")
        data = data.replace("\r", "\n")
        return data


    def __del__(self):
        if not self._child_created:
            # We didn't get to successfully create a child process.
            return
        # In case the child hasn't been waited on, check if it's done.
        self.poll(_deadstate=sys.maxint)
        if self.returncode is None and _active is not None:
            # Child is still running, keep us alive until we can wait on it.
            _active.append(self)


    def communicate(self, input=None):
        """Interact with process: Send data to stdin.  Read data from
        stdout and stderr, until end-of-file is reached.  Wait for
        process to terminate.  The optional input argument should be a
        string to be sent to the child process, or None, if no data
        should be sent to the child.

        communicate() returns a tuple (stdout, stderr)."""

        # Optimization: If we are only using one pipe, or no pipe at
        # all, using select() or threads is unnecessary.
        if [self.stdin, self.stdout, self.stderr].count(None) >= 2:
            stdout = None
            stderr = None
            if self.stdin:
                if input:
                    self.stdin.write(input)
                self.stdin.close()
            elif self.stdout:
                stdout = self.stdout.read()
            elif self.stderr:
                stderr = self.stderr.read()
            self.wait()
            return (stdout, stderr)

        return self._communicate(input)


    if mswindows:
        #
        # Windows methods
        #
        def _get_handles(self, stdin, stdout, stderr):
            """Construct and return tupel with IO objects:
            p2cread, p2cwrite, c2pread, c2pwrite, errread, errwrite
            """
            if stdin is None and stdout is None and stderr is None:
                return (None, None, None, None, None, None)

            p2cread, p2cwrite = None, None
            c2pread, c2pwrite = None, None
            errread, errwrite = None, None

            if stdin is None:
                p2cread = GetStdHandle(STD_INPUT_HANDLE)
            elif stdin == PIPE:
                p2cread, p2cwrite = CreatePipe(None, 0)
                # Detach and turn into fd
                p2cwrite = p2cwrite.Detach()
                p2cwrite = msvcrt.open_osfhandle(p2cwrite, 0)
            elif isinstance(stdin, int):
                p2cread = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(stdin)
            else:
                # Assuming file-like object
                p2cread = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(stdin.fileno())
            p2cread = self._make_inheritable(p2cread)

            if stdout is None:
                c2pwrite = GetStdHandle(STD_OUTPUT_HANDLE)
            elif stdout == PIPE:
                c2pread, c2pwrite = CreatePipe(None, 0)
                # Detach and turn into fd
                c2pread = c2pread.Detach()
                c2pread = msvcrt.open_osfhandle(c2pread, 0)
            elif isinstance(stdout, int):
                c2pwrite = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(stdout)
            else:
                # Assuming file-like object
                c2pwrite = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(stdout.fileno())
            c2pwrite = self._make_inheritable(c2pwrite)

            if stderr is None:
                errwrite = GetStdHandle(STD_ERROR_HANDLE)
            elif stderr == PIPE:
                errread, errwrite = CreatePipe(None, 0)
                # Detach and turn into fd
                errread = errread.Detach()
                errread = msvcrt.open_osfhandle(errread, 0)
            elif stderr == STDOUT:
                errwrite = c2pwrite
            elif isinstance(stderr, int):
                errwrite = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(stderr)
            else:
                # Assuming file-like object
                errwrite = msvcrt.get_osfhandle(stderr.fileno())
            errwrite = self._make_inheritable(errwrite)

            return (p2cread, p2cwrite,
                    c2pread, c2pwrite,
                    errread, errwrite)


        def _make_inheritable(self, handle):
            """Return a duplicate of handle, which is inheritable"""
            return DuplicateHandle(GetCurrentProcess(), handle,
                                   GetCurrentProcess(), 0, 1,
                                   DUPLICATE_SAME_ACCESS)


        def _find_w9xpopen(self):
            """Find and return absolut path to w9xpopen.exe"""
            w9xpopen = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(GetModuleFileName(0)),
                                    "w9xpopen.exe")
            if not os.path.exists(w9xpopen):
                # Eeek - file-not-found - possibly an embedding
                # situation - see if we can locate it in sys.exec_prefix
                w9xpopen = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(sys.exec_prefix),
                                        "w9xpopen.exe")
                if not os.path.exists(w9xpopen):
                    raise RuntimeError("Cannot locate w9xpopen.exe, which is "
                                       "needed for Popen to work with your "
                                       "shell or platform.")
            return w9xpopen


        def _execute_child(self, args, executable, preexec_fn, close_fds,
                           cwd, env, universal_newlines,
                           startupinfo, creationflags, shell,
                           p2cread, p2cwrite,
                           c2pread, c2pwrite,
                           errread, errwrite):
            """Execute program (MS Windows version)"""

            if not isinstance(args, types.StringTypes):
                args = list2cmdline(args)

            # Process startup details
            if startupinfo is None:
                startupinfo = STARTUPINFO()
            if None not in (p2cread, c2pwrite, errwrite):
                startupinfo.dwFlags |= STARTF_USESTDHANDLES
                startupinfo.hStdInput = p2cread
                startupinfo.hStdOutput = c2pwrite
                startupinfo.hStdError = errwrite

            if shell:
                startupinfo.dwFlags |= STARTF_USESHOWWINDOW
                startupinfo.wShowWindow = SW_HIDE
                comspec = os.environ.get("COMSPEC", "cmd.exe")
                args = comspec + " /c " + args
                if (GetVersion() >= 0x80000000 or
                        os.path.basename(comspec).lower() == "command.com"):
                    # Win9x, or using command.com on NT. We need to
                    # use the w9xpopen intermediate program. For more
                    # information, see KB Q150956
                    # (http://web.archive.org/web/20011105084002/http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q150/9/56.asp)
                    w9xpopen = self._find_w9xpopen()
                    args = '"%s" %s' % (w9xpopen, args)
                    # Not passing CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE has been known to
                    # cause random failures on win9x.  Specifically a
                    # dialog: "Your program accessed mem currently in
                    # use at xxx" and a hopeful warning about the
                    # stability of your system.  Cost is Ctrl+C wont
                    # kill children.
                    creationflags |= CREATE_NEW_CONSOLE

            # Start the process
            try:
                hp, ht, pid, tid = CreateProcess(executable, args,
                                         # no special security
                                         None, None,
                                         # must inherit handles to pass std
                                         # handles
                                         1,
                                         creationflags,
                                         env,
                                         cwd,
                                         startupinfo)
            except pywintypes.error as e:
                # Translate pywintypes.error to WindowsError, which is
                # a subclass of OSError.  FIXME: We should really
                # translate errno using _sys_errlist (or simliar), but
                # how can this be done from Python?
                raise WindowsError(*e.args)

            # Retain the process handle, but close the thread handle
            self._child_created = True
            self._handle = hp
            self.pid = pid
            ht.Close()

            # Child is launched. Close the parent's copy of those pipe
            # handles that only the child should have open.  You need
            # to make sure that no handles to the write end of the
            # output pipe are maintained in this process or else the
            # pipe will not close when the child process exits and the
            # ReadFile will hang.
            if p2cread is not None:
                p2cread.Close()
            if c2pwrite is not None:
                c2pwrite.Close()
            if errwrite is not None:
                errwrite.Close()


        def poll(self, _deadstate=None):
            """Check if child process has terminated.  Returns returncode
            attribute."""
            if self.returncode is None:
                if WaitForSingleObject(self._handle, 0) == WAIT_OBJECT_0:
                    self.returncode = GetExitCodeProcess(self._handle)
            return self.returncode


        def wait(self):
            """Wait for child process to terminate.  Returns returncode
            attribute."""
            if self.returncode is None:
                obj = WaitForSingleObject(self._handle, INFINITE)
                self.returncode = GetExitCodeProcess(self._handle)
            return self.returncode


        def _readerthread(self, fh, buffer):
            buffer.append(fh.read())


        def _communicate(self, input):
            stdout = None # Return
            stderr = None # Return

            if self.stdout:
                stdout = []
                stdout_thread = threading.Thread(target=self._readerthread,
                                                 args=(self.stdout, stdout))
                stdout_thread.setDaemon(True)
                stdout_thread.start()
            if self.stderr:
                stderr = []
                stderr_thread = threading.Thread(target=self._readerthread,
                                                 args=(self.stderr, stderr))
                stderr_thread.setDaemon(True)
                stderr_thread.start()

            if self.stdin:
                if input is not None:
                    self.stdin.write(input)
                self.stdin.close()

            if self.stdout:
                stdout_thread.join()
            if self.stderr:
                stderr_thread.join()

            # All data exchanged.  Translate lists into strings.
            if stdout is not None:
                stdout = stdout[0]
            if stderr is not None:
                stderr = stderr[0]

            # Translate newlines, if requested.  We cannot let the file
            # object do the translation: It is based on stdio, which is
            # impossible to combine with select (unless forcing no
            # buffering).
            if self.universal_newlines and hasattr(file, 'newlines'):
                if stdout:
                    stdout = self._translate_newlines(stdout)
                if stderr:
                    stderr = self._translate_newlines(stderr)

            self.wait()
            return (stdout, stderr)

    else:
        #
        # POSIX methods
        #
        def _get_handles(self, stdin, stdout, stderr):
            """Construct and return tupel with IO objects:
            p2cread, p2cwrite, c2pread, c2pwrite, errread, errwrite
            """
            p2cread, p2cwrite = None, None
            c2pread, c2pwrite = None, None
            errread, errwrite = None, None

            if stdin is None:
                pass
            elif stdin == PIPE:
                p2cread, p2cwrite = os.pipe()
            elif isinstance(stdin, int):
                p2cread = stdin
            else:
                # Assuming file-like object
                p2cread = stdin.fileno()

            if stdout is None:
                pass
            elif stdout == PIPE:
                c2pread, c2pwrite = os.pipe()
            elif isinstance(stdout, int):
                c2pwrite = stdout
            else:
                # Assuming file-like object
                c2pwrite = stdout.fileno()

            if stderr is None:
                pass
            elif stderr == PIPE:
                errread, errwrite = os.pipe()
            elif stderr == STDOUT:
                errwrite = c2pwrite
            elif isinstance(stderr, int):
                errwrite = stderr
            else:
                # Assuming file-like object
                errwrite = stderr.fileno()

            return (p2cread, p2cwrite,
                    c2pread, c2pwrite,
                    errread, errwrite)


        def _set_cloexec_flag(self, fd):
            try:
                cloexec_flag = fcntl.FD_CLOEXEC
            except AttributeError:
                cloexec_flag = 1

            old = fcntl.fcntl(fd, fcntl.F_GETFD)
            fcntl.fcntl(fd, fcntl.F_SETFD, old | cloexec_flag)


        def _close_fds(self, but):
            for i in xrange(3, MAXFD):
                if i == but:
                    continue
                try:
                    os.close(i)
                except:
                    pass


        def _execute_child(self, args, executable, preexec_fn, close_fds,
                           cwd, env, universal_newlines,
                           startupinfo, creationflags, shell,
                           p2cread, p2cwrite,
                           c2pread, c2pwrite,
                           errread, errwrite):
            """Execute program (POSIX version)"""

            if isinstance(args, types.StringTypes):
                args = [args]
            else:
                args = list(args)

            if shell:
                args = ["/bin/sh", "-c"] + args

            if executable is None:
                executable = args[0]

            # For transferring possible exec failure from child to parent
            # The first char specifies the exception type: 0 means
            # OSError, 1 means some other error.
            errpipe_read, errpipe_write = os.pipe()
            self._set_cloexec_flag(errpipe_write)

            self.pid = os.fork()
            self._child_created = True
            if self.pid == 0:
                # Child
                try:
                    # Close parent's pipe ends
                    if p2cwrite:
                        os.close(p2cwrite)
                    if c2pread:
                        os.close(c2pread)
                    if errread:
                        os.close(errread)
                    os.close(errpipe_read)

                    # Dup fds for child
                    if p2cread:
                        os.dup2(p2cread, 0)
                    if c2pwrite:
                        os.dup2(c2pwrite, 1)
                    if errwrite:
                        os.dup2(errwrite, 2)

                    # Close pipe fds.  Make sure we don't close the same
                    # fd more than once, or standard fds.
                    if p2cread and p2cread not in (0,):
                        os.close(p2cread)
                    if c2pwrite and c2pwrite not in (p2cread, 1):
                        os.close(c2pwrite)
                    if errwrite and errwrite not in (p2cread, c2pwrite, 2):
                        os.close(errwrite)

                    # Close all other fds, if asked for
                    if close_fds:
                        self._close_fds(but=errpipe_write)

                    if cwd is not None:
                        os.chdir(cwd)

                    if preexec_fn:
                        preexec_fn()

                    if env is None:
                        os.execvp(executable, args)
                    else:
                        os.execvpe(executable, args, env)

                except:
                    exc_type, exc_value, tb = sys.exc_info()
                    # Save the traceback and attach it to the exception object
                    exc_lines = traceback.format_exception(exc_type,
                                                           exc_value,
                                                           tb)
                    exc_value.child_traceback = ''.join(exc_lines)
                    os.write(errpipe_write, pickle.dumps(exc_value))

                # This exitcode won't be reported to applications, so it
                # really doesn't matter what we return.
                os._exit(255)

            # Parent
            os.close(errpipe_write)
            if p2cread and p2cwrite:
                os.close(p2cread)
            if c2pwrite and c2pread:
                os.close(c2pwrite)
            if errwrite and errread:
                os.close(errwrite)

            # Wait for exec to fail or succeed; possibly raising exception
            data = os.read(errpipe_read, 1048576) # Exceptions limited to 1 MB
            os.close(errpipe_read)
            if data != "":
                os.waitpid(self.pid, 0)
                child_exception = pickle.loads(data)
                raise child_exception


        def _handle_exitstatus(self, sts):
            if os.WIFSIGNALED(sts):
                self.returncode = -os.WTERMSIG(sts)
            elif os.WIFEXITED(sts):
                self.returncode = os.WEXITSTATUS(sts)
            else:
                # Should never happen
                raise RuntimeError("Unknown child exit status!")


        def poll(self, _deadstate=None):
            """Check if child process has terminated.  Returns returncode
            attribute."""
            if self.returncode is None:
                try:
                    pid, sts = os.waitpid(self.pid, os.WNOHANG)
                    if pid == self.pid:
                        self._handle_exitstatus(sts)
                except os.error:
                    if _deadstate is not None:
                        self.returncode = _deadstate
            return self.returncode


        def wait(self):
            """Wait for child process to terminate.  Returns returncode
            attribute."""
            if self.returncode is None:
                pid, sts = os.waitpid(self.pid, 0)
                self._handle_exitstatus(sts)
            return self.returncode


        def _communicate(self, input):
            read_set = []
            write_set = []
            stdout = None # Return
            stderr = None # Return

            if self.stdin:
                # Flush stdio buffer.  This might block, if the user has
                # been writing to .stdin in an uncontrolled fashion.
                self.stdin.flush()
                if input:
                    write_set.append(self.stdin)
                else:
                    self.stdin.close()
            if self.stdout:
                read_set.append(self.stdout)
                stdout = []
            if self.stderr:
                read_set.append(self.stderr)
                stderr = []

            input_offset = 0
            while read_set or write_set:
                rlist, wlist, xlist = select.select(read_set, write_set, [])

                if self.stdin in wlist:
                    # When select has indicated that the file is writable,
                    # we can write up to PIPE_BUF bytes without risk
                    # blocking.  POSIX defines PIPE_BUF >= 512
                    bytes_written = os.write(self.stdin.fileno(), buffer(input, input_offset, 512))
                    input_offset += bytes_written
                    if input_offset >= len(input):
                        self.stdin.close()
                        write_set.remove(self.stdin)

                if self.stdout in rlist:
                    data = os.read(self.stdout.fileno(), 1024)
                    if data == "":
                        self.stdout.close()
                        read_set.remove(self.stdout)
                    stdout.append(data)

                if self.stderr in rlist:
                    data = os.read(self.stderr.fileno(), 1024)
                    if data == "":
                        self.stderr.close()
                        read_set.remove(self.stderr)
                    stderr.append(data)

            # All data exchanged.  Translate lists into strings.
            if stdout is not None:
                stdout = ''.join(stdout)
            if stderr is not None:
                stderr = ''.join(stderr)

            # Translate newlines, if requested.  We cannot let the file
            # object do the translation: It is based on stdio, which is
            # impossible to combine with select (unless forcing no
            # buffering).
            if self.universal_newlines and hasattr(file, 'newlines'):
                if stdout:
                    stdout = self._translate_newlines(stdout)
                if stderr:
                    stderr = self._translate_newlines(stderr)

            self.wait()
            return (stdout, stderr)


def _demo_posix():
    #
    # Example 1: Simple redirection: Get process list
    #
    plist = Popen(["ps"], stdout=PIPE).communicate()[0]
    print "Process list:"
    print plist

    #
    # Example 2: Change uid before executing child
    #
    if os.getuid() == 0:
        p = Popen(["id"], preexec_fn=lambda: os.setuid(100))
        p.wait()

    #
    # Example 3: Connecting several subprocesses
    #
    print "Looking for 'hda'..."
    p1 = Popen(["dmesg"], stdout=PIPE)
    p2 = Popen(["grep", "hda"], stdin=p1.stdout, stdout=PIPE)
    print repr(p2.communicate()[0])

    #
    # Example 4: Catch execution error
    #
    print
    print "Trying a weird file..."
    try:
        print Popen(["/this/path/does/not/exist"]).communicate()
    except OSError as e:
        if e.errno == errno.ENOENT:
            print "The file didn't exist.  I thought so..."
            print "Child traceback:"
            print e.child_traceback
        else:
            print "Error", e.errno
    else:
        print >>sys.stderr, "Gosh.  No error."


def _demo_windows():
    #
    # Example 1: Connecting several subprocesses
    #
    print "Looking for 'PROMPT' in set output..."
    p1 = Popen("set", stdout=PIPE, shell=True)
    p2 = Popen('find "PROMPT"', stdin=p1.stdout, stdout=PIPE)
    print repr(p2.communicate()[0])

    #
    # Example 2: Simple execution of program
    #
    print "Executing calc..."
    p = Popen("calc")
    p.wait()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    if mswindows:
        _demo_windows()
    else:
        _demo_posix()