Dynamic HTML from Python Script

[asdf]

I have a python script whose output i want to dynamically display
on a webpage which will be hosted using Apache. How do I do that?
thanks

[Aidan]

asdf wrote:

I have a python script whose output i want to dynamically display
on a webpage which will be hosted using Apache. How do I do that?
thanks

Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.

You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.

You could have the script run periodically and create a static html file
in the webroot... this would be acceptable, maybe preferable, if the
output from your script doesn't change frequently.

There's also more advanced ways you can make python code run in a
web-service. Cherrypy comes to mind, as well as the myriad python MVC
frameworks.

[asdf]

Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.

>
You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.

Output from the script does come up very often. There is a new output
every 10 secs and it's possible that the script might be run indefinitely.
Basically I want all that output displayed in a web browser

You could have the script run periodically and create a static html file
in the webroot... this would be acceptable, maybe preferable, if the
output from your script doesn't change frequently.

[Aidan]

asdf wrote:

>Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.

You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.

Output from the script does come up very often. There is a new output
every 10 secs and it's possible that the script might be run indefinitely.
Basically I want all that output displayed in a web browser

Well, in that case you could simply append the new output to a static
file every 10 seconds, or whenever there is new output. That way, you
just need to refresh the static file in your browser to see updates...
Given what I understand of your situation, that's how I'd do it.

A constantly running CGI app is probably not the best idea, given
timeouts and other such constraints you might run into.

>You could have the script run periodically and create a static html file
in the webroot... this would be acceptable, maybe preferable, if the
output from your script doesn't change frequently.

[Larry Bates]

asdf wrote:

I have a python script whose output i want to dynamically display
on a webpage which will be hosted using Apache. How do I do that?
thanks

Take a look at Django. It may be overkill for this first project but any time
you spend learning it should be paid back in future projects.

-Larry

[asdf]

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:20:48 +1000, Aidan wrote:

asdf wrote:

>>Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.

You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.

Output from the script does come up very often. There is a new output
every 10 secs and it's possible that the script might be run
indefinitely . Basically I want all that output displayed in a web
browser

Well, in that case you could simply append the new output to a static
file every 10 seconds, or whenever there is new output. That way, you
just need to refresh the static file in your browser to see updates...
Given what I understand of your situation, that's how I'd do it.

The problem with this is that browser would have to be refreshed manually
every 10 seconds. Unless there is a way to set this in the script itself.

A constantly running CGI app is probably not the best idea, given
timeouts and other such constraints you might run into.

>>You could have the script run periodically and create a static html
file in the webroot... this would be acceptable, maybe preferable, if
the output from your script doesn't change frequently.

[Aidan]

asdf wrote:

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:20:48 +1000, Aidan wrote:

>asdf wrote:

>>>Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.

You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.
Output from the script does come up very often. There is a new output
every 10 secs and it's possible that the script might be run
indefinitel y. Basically I want all that output displayed in a web
browser

Well, in that case you could simply append the new output to a static
file every 10 seconds, or whenever there is new output. That way, you
just need to refresh the static file in your browser to see updates...
Given what I understand of your situation, that's how I'd do it.

The problem with this is that browser would have to be refreshed manually
every 10 seconds. Unless there is a way to set this in the script itself.

You should be able to do that with just:

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="10"/>

in the <headsection of your page (you can adjust the value of content
from 5 to however many seconds you want between refreshes).

You could also look at adding some AJAX-yness to your page, and have it
query your script for new output every 10 seconds, and then add that
content to the existing page... it sounds like this behavior is what
you're looking for, but it's slightly harder to pull off than the method
mentioned above.

>

>A constantly running CGI app is probably not the best idea, given
timeouts and other such constraints you might run into.

>>>You could have the script run periodically and create a static html
file in the webroot... this would be acceptable, maybe preferable, if
the output from your script doesn't change frequently.

[Aidan]

Aidan wrote:

asdf wrote:

>On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:20:48 +1000, Aidan wrote:

>>asdf wrote:
Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.
>
You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.
>
>
Output from the script does come up very often. There is a new output
every 10 secs and it's possible that the script might be run
indefinitely . Basically I want all that output displayed in a web
browser
Well, in that case you could simply append the new output to a static
file every 10 seconds, or whenever there is new output. That way, you
just need to refresh the static file in your browser to see updates...
Given what I understand of your situation, that's how I'd do it.

The problem with this is that browser would have to be refreshed manually
every 10 seconds. Unless there is a way to set this in the script itself.

You should be able to do that with just:

<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="10"/>

in the <headsection of your page (you can adjust the value of content
from 5 to however many seconds you want between refreshes).

To be clear, you can set the content attribute value to any arbitrary
integer value.

>
You could also look at adding some AJAX-yness to your page, and have it
query your script for new output every 10 seconds, and then add that
content to the existing page... it sounds like this behavior is what
you're looking for, but it's slightly harder to pull off than the method
mentioned above.

>>

>>A constantly running CGI app is probably not the best idea, given
timeouts and other such constraints you might run into.
You could have the script run periodically and create a static html
file in the webroot... this would be acceptable, maybe preferable, if
the output from your script doesn't change frequently.
>

[Lie]

On Jun 11, 9:16*am, asdf <[e-mail] rote:

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:20:48 +1000, Aidan wrote:

asdf wrote:

>Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.

>You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.

Output from the script does come up very often. There is a new output
every 10 secs and it's possible that the script might be run
indefinitely. Basically I want all that output displayed in a web
browser

Well, in that case you could simply append the new output to a static
file every 10 seconds, or whenever there is new output. *That way, you
just need to refresh the static file in your browser to see updates...
Given what I understand of your situation, that's how I'd do it.

The problem with this is that browser would have to be refreshed manually
every 10 seconds. Unless there is a way to set this in the script itself.

Surely you don't think you can do that without Javascript don't you?
You can't make the browser refresh automatically in the server side,
it has to be done in the client side scripting or like Opera browser
that have an option to make it refresh a page every few seconds.

A constantly running CGI app is probably not the best idea, given
timeouts and other such constraints you might run into.

>You could have the script run periodically and create a static html
file in the webroot... this would be acceptable, maybe preferable, if
the output from your script doesn't change frequently.

[Ivan Illarionov]

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 01:05:45 +0000, asdf wrote:

>Well, there's a few ways you could approach it.

You could create a cgi program from your script - this is probably the
solution you're looking for.

Output from the script does come up very often. There is a new output
every 10 secs and it's possible that the script might be run
indefinitely. Basically I want all that output displayed in a web
browser

Here's a simplified Django and AJAX solution:
1. Install Django http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/install/
and choose the place to strore your Django apps

2. Run 'python django-admin.py startproject YOURPROJECTNAME '

3. Create views.py file inside YOURPROJECTNAME directory
with something like this:

from datetime import datetime
from django.http import HttpResponse
# import your script here
def myscript(reques t):
output = """\
<html>
<body>

<script type="text/javascript">
function ajaxFunction()
{
var xmlHttp;
try
{
// Firefox, Opera 8.0+, Safari
xmlHttp=new XMLHttpRequest( );
}
catch (e)
{
// Internet Explorer
try
{
xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject(" Msxml2.XMLHTTP" );
}
catch (e)
{
try
{
xmlHttp=new ActiveXObject(" Microsoft.XMLHT TP");
}
catch (e)
{
alert("Your browser does not support AJAX!");
return false;
}
}
}
xmlHttp.onready statechange=fun ction()
{
if(xmlHttp.read yState==4)
{
document.getEle mentById("hello ").innerHTML=xm lHttp.responseT ext;
setTimeout('aja xFunction();', 1000);
}
}
xmlHttp.open("G ET", "../ajax/", true);
xmlHttp.send(nu ll);
}
window.onload = ajaxFunction;
</script>

<div id="hello"></div>
</body>
</html>"""
return HttpResponse(ou tput)

def ajax(request):
output = """
<p>Hello World from Django and AJAX</p>
<p>Current time is: %s</p>
""" % str(datetime.no w())[11:19]
return HttpResponse(ou tput, mimetype="text/plain")

Note, that refresh time is in 'setTimeout('aj axFunction();', 1000);' in
this example it is 1 second.
3. edit urls.py inside YOURPROJECTNAME directory to something like this:
from django.conf.url s.defaults import *

urlpatterns = patterns('',
(r'^myscript/$', 'YOURPROJECTNAM E.views.myscrip t'),
(r'^ajax/$', 'YOURPROJECTNAM E.views.ajax'),
)

4. run 'python manage.py runserver' inside YOURPROJECTNAME directory

5. point your browser to 'http://127.0.0.1:8000/myscript/' and you'll see
the result.

6. Deploy your app to Apache web server
http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/modpython/
http://www.djangoproject.com/documentation/fastcgi/

Hope this Django/AJAX introduction is helpfull
Please note that this code is extremely simplified you probably need to
learn more about Django and AJAX/Javascript by yourself

Ivan