using python at the bash shell?

[John Salerno]

Hi all. I just installed Ubuntu and I'm learning how to use the bash
shell. Aside from the normal commands you can use, I was wondering if
it's possible to use Python from the terminal instead of the normal bash
commands (e.g. print instead of echo). My main reason for asking is that
I like using Python for everything, and if I don't need to learn the
bash 'language', then I won't just yet.

Thanks.

[John McMonagle]

On Mon, 2006-08-07 at 21:03 -0400, John Salerno wrote:

Hi all. I just installed Ubuntu and I'm learning how to use the bash
shell. Aside from the normal commands you can use, I was wondering if
it's possible to use Python from the terminal instead of the normal bash
commands (e.g. print instead of echo).

>From a terminal window typing,

python -c "print 'testing'"

would produce the same results as

echo 'testing'

in bash shell, but obviously not as nice.

My main reason for asking is that
I like using Python for everything, and if I don't need to learn the
bash 'language', then I won't just yet.

Just type python and do your stuff in the python interpreter. This
becomes your shell.

This then got me thinking, how about making python your login shell. So
I modified my shell login entry in /etc/passwd to /usr/bin/python,
logged in and voila, I was presented with my friendly python shell upon
opening a terminal window.

So the answer is "Yes".

--
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[skip]

JohnAside from the normal commands you can use, I was wondering if
Johnit's possible to use Python from the terminal instead of the
Johnnormal bash commands (e.g. print instead of echo).

Take a look at ipython <http://ipython.scipy.o rg/>. It's not precisely what
you've asked for, but it provides some features that help integrate Python
with the shell environment.

Skip

[Simon Forman]

sk**@pobox.com wrote:

JohnAside from the normal commands you can use, I was wondering if
Johnit's possible to use Python from the terminal instead of the
Johnnormal bash commands (e.g. print instead of echo).

Take a look at ipython <http://ipython.scipy.o rg/>. It's not precisely what
you've asked for, but it provides some features that help integrate Python
with the shell environment.

Skip

FWIW, I second this. If you want to use python as your shell use
Ipython. It's just great. Fernando Pérez has done a Good Thing IMHO.

Be sure to read (or at least skim) the manual:
http://ipython.scipy.org/doc/manual/index.html

Here's an example of calling "man ls" and then getting the results of
"ls -l" into a python list (one list item per line) and then extracting
the size (as a string) of the MANIFEST file... Enjoy... (I hope
reformatting doesn't screw this up too badly.)
$ ipython
Python 2.4.3 (#2, Apr 27 2006, 14:43:58)
Type "copyright" , "credits" or "license" for more information.

IPython 0.7.1.fix1 -- An enhanced Interactive Python.
? -Introduction to IPython's features.
%magic -Information about IPython's 'magic' % functions.
help -Python's own help system.
object? -Details about 'object'. ?object also works, ?? prints more.

In [1]: !man ls
Reformatting ls(1), please wait...
<viewing actual man page here. ~Simon>

In [2]: !!ls -l
Out[2]:
['total 40',
'drwxr-xr-x 3 sforman sforman 4096 2006-08-02 12:41 docs',
'drwxr-xr-x 3 sforman sforman 4096 2006-04-27 23:49 logs',
'-rw-r--r-- 1 sforman sforman 887 2006-04-27 23:49 MANIFEST',
'-rw-r--r-- 1 sforman sforman 173 2006-05-04 14:04 MANIFEST.in',
'-rw-r--r-- 1 sforman sforman 3338 2006-06-14 20:19 README',
'-rw-r--r-- 1 sforman sforman 475 2006-07-16 17:40 setup.py',
'drwxr-xr-x 4 sforman sforman 4096 2006-08-07 15:04 src',
'drwxr-xr-x 3 sforman sforman 4096 2006-06-21 20:59 tests',
'-rw-r--r-- 1 sforman sforman 898 2006-07-09 21:53 TODO',
'drwxr-xr-x 3 sforman sforman 4096 2006-08-05 17:37 util']

In [3]: data = [n.split() for n in _[1:]]

In [4]: print data[2][4]
887

In [5]:
etc...

HTH,
~Simon

[BartlebyScrivener]

John Salerno wrote:

I like using Python for everything, and if I don't need to learn the
bash 'language', then I won't just yet.

And like vim, Ipython works on both windows and ubuntu.

rd

[John Salerno]

sk**@pobox.com wrote:

JohnAside from the normal commands you can use, I was wondering if
Johnit's possible to use Python from the terminal instead of the
Johnnormal bash commands (e.g. print instead of echo).

Take a look at ipython <http://ipython.scipy.o rg/>. It's not precisely what
you've asked for, but it provides some features that help integrate Python
with the shell environment.

Skip

Can you use IPython to do normal bash things, like installing, etc.?

[Thomas Bartkus]

"John Salerno" <jo******@NOSPA Mgmail.comwrote in message
news:44******** **************@ news.astraweb.c om...

Hi all. I just installed Ubuntu and I'm learning how to use the bash
shell. Aside from the normal commands you can use, I was wondering if
it's possible to use Python from the terminal instead of the normal bash
commands (e.g. print instead of echo). My main reason for asking is that
I like using Python for everything, and if I don't need to learn the
bash 'language', then I won't just yet.

The answer is yes and you are getting excellent tips from others.

I am just validating your experience by saying that coming from Python is a
barrier to my learning BASH. The more I work with Linux/BASH, the more I
see how I might have used BASH to script something I have already done in
Python. But the question that always comes up is why bother with BASH at
all ;-) And with Python available everywhere, ....

I've just reconsiled to pick up my BASH by osmosis and concentrate on
(much!) cleaner scripting with Python.

Thomas Bartkus

[John Salerno]

Thomas Bartkus wrote:

I am just validating your experience by saying that coming from Python is a
barrier to my learning BASH. The more I work with Linux/BASH, the more I
see how I might have used BASH to script something I have already done in
Python. But the question that always comes up is why bother with BASH at
all ;-) And with Python available everywhere, ....

I've just reconsiled to pick up my BASH by osmosis and concentrate on
(much!) cleaner scripting with Python.

Glad to know I'm not alone! But I'm certainly much happier using Python
than bash anyway. All I really want to learn as far as the shell is
concerned are the 'natural' things you can do, such as directory/file
manipulation, installing programs, etc. I don't have much of a need to
learn the actual programming parts of the bash language, especially when
I can do the same with Python, which is so much cooler. :)

[skip]

>I've just reconsiled to pick up my BASH by osmosis and concentrate on
(much!) cleaner scripting with Python.

JohnI don't have much of a need to learn the actual programming parts
Johnof the bash language, ...

As long as you promise never, ever, ever to try programming in csh...

Skip

[John Salerno]

sk**@pobox.com wrote:

>I've just reconsiled to pick up my BASH by osmosis and concentrate on
>(much!) cleaner scripting with Python.

JohnI don't have much of a need to learn the actual programming parts
Johnof the bash language, ...

As long as you promise never, ever, ever to try programming in csh...

Skip

Heh heh, Python all the way!