CODEWITHSUNDEEP
pythonbashshell
JBWhitmore
JBWhitmore

Reputation: 12246

How do I run code from a different directory with a bash script

I have been putting my code on github, but I've run into an implementation snag. I run the same code on many computers (including a computer that I do not have root access on).

One piece of code (a bash script) calls some python code like:

python somecode.py

The shell will run the correct version of python, but it won't find somecode.py.

What I've tried:

Fail #1: I tried to add both the directory which contains somecode.py and the full path to the file to the PATH; to no avail. [Errno 2] No such file or directory

Fail #2: I can make it work for one computer ONLY if I add the full path to the correct version of python in the top line: 

#!/usr/local/cool/python/version/location

However this breaks it running on any other computer.

Fail #3: I can also make it work if I make the bash script say: 

python /full/path/to/github/place/somecode.py

but again, this only works for ONE computer because the paths are different for different computers.

What I really want to do: I want to be able to use the same code (both bash script and somecode.py) on multiple computers.

Any suggestions about how to do this properly is welcome. Thanks!

Solution

Added: 

#!/usr/bin/env python

To the top of my somecode.py code; 

mv somecode.py somecode
chmod +x somecode

Make sure PATH has /full/path/to/directory/with/somecode.

Bash script now says only: 

somecode

and it works.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 6069

Answers (2)

cdarke
cdarke

Reputation: 44344

If you say python somefile.py then it will take the location of somefile.py as the current directory, not from $PATH. It will take the location of python from $PATH.

If you say somefile.py then it will take the location of somefile.py from $PATH, and the location of python from the #! line of your python script, which can use the PATH if you follow @Levon's suggestion.

Upvotes: 2

Levon
Levon

Reputation: 143037

For problem #2 try

#!/usr/bin/env python

though it may find different versions of Python on different machines, but as long as that's not a problem this should fix that particular problem

See this SO question Python deployment and /usr/bin/env portability too. And this post by Alex Martelli re use of this.

Upvotes: 5

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