How to display command output to screen in "real time" in Python?

Question

I am trying to call "git clone" command in Python. I hope the Python script can display the GIT command output to the screen the same as running it in a terminal. For example the percentage information of the clone process. Is it there anyway to do it in Python?

Answer 1

Take a look at Python's sub process module, you can capture the output to a variable and then work with it. There are ways to intercept steer and stout. It's available as of 2.4 and should do the trick. I've used this for scripts running system commands at capturing the output for things at work. Reply if you need an example and I can dig one up from my work computer tomorrow morning...

http://docs.python.org/2/library/subprocess.html

    try:
        # Needs to all be one argument for acme command...
        cmd = ["acme nw -proj " + self.based_on]
        p = subprocess.Popen(cmd,
                             cwd=place,
                             shell=True,
                             stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
                             stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
        output, error_msgs = p.communicate()
    except (OSError) as err:
        sys.stdout.write("ERROR {0} ({1})\n".format(err.strerror,
                                                    err.errno))
        sys.exit(err.errno)
     if len(error_msgs) > 0 and error_msgs != "Scanning the source base and preparing the workspace, please wait ...\n":
        sys.stdout.write("There were errors, during view create\n")
        sys.stdout.write(error_msgs)
    else:
        sys.stdout.write("SUCCESS\n")