EasyProcess

1.1 · active · verified Sun Apr 12

EasyProcess is a simple, easy-to-use Python subprocess interface, providing a convenient layer on top of the standard `subprocess` module. It simplifies starting and stopping programs, retrieving their standard output and error streams, and managing return codes. The library supports Python versions 3.7 through 3.12 and is currently at version 1.1.

Warnings

gotcha EasyProcess does not support shell commands. Commands should be provided as a list of arguments. Passing a string will be split using `shlex.split`, but shell-specific commands (like `echo` on Windows) might not work as expected if they are not standalone executables.
Fix: Always pass commands as a list of strings (e.g., `['command', 'arg1', 'arg2']`) instead of a single string. Ensure the base command refers to an actual executable.
gotcha The `stdout` and `stderr` attributes of an `EasyProcess` object are only populated *after* the subprocess has finished execution (i.e., after `call()`, `wait()`, or `stop()` has completed and the process has terminated). Attempting to read them before the process ends will result in `None`.
Fix: Access `stdout` and `stderr` only after the process has concluded, for instance, after calling `.call()` or after `.stop()` on a `start()`ed process.
gotcha The `return_code` attribute is `None` until the managed subprocess has completed its execution and either `EasyProcess.stop()` or `EasyProcess.wait()` has been called.
Fix: Check `return_code` only after the process has completed and the relevant method (`stop()` or `wait()`) has been invoked.
gotcha The `stop()` method only terminates the main process started by `EasyProcess` and does *not* automatically kill the entire subprocess tree (i.e., any child processes spawned by the main process). This can lead to orphaned processes.
Fix: For scenarios requiring full process tree termination, consider external utilities (like `psutil` in Python) to identify and kill child processes, or ensure the executed program itself handles its child processes gracefully.

Install

pip install EasyProcess Install with pip

Imports

EasyProcess
```
from easyprocess import EasyProcess
```

Quickstart

This example demonstrates how to run a simple Python command using EasyProcess, wait for its completion, and retrieve its standard output and return code.

import sys
from easyprocess import EasyProcess

# Get the Python executable path
python_executable = sys.executable

# Run a simple Python command, wait for it, and get stdout
process_result = EasyProcess([python_executable, "-c", "print('Hello from EasyProcess')"]).call()
print("Stdout:", process_result.stdout)
print("Return Code:", process_result.return_code)

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