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pythonsubprocesspipemkfifo

python os.mkfifo() for Windows


Short version (if you can answer the short version it does the job for me, the rest is mainly for the benefit of other people with a similar task):

In python in Windows, I want to create 2 file objects, attached to the same file (it doesn't have to be an actual file on the hard-drive), one for reading and one for writing, such that if the reading end tries to read it will never get EOF (it will just block until something is written). I think in linux os.mkfifo() would do the job, but in Windows it doesn't exist. What can be done? (I must use file-objects).

Some extra details: I have a python module (not written by me) that plays a certain game through stdin and stdout (using raw_input() and print). I also have a Windows executable playing the same game, through stdin and stdout as well. I want to make them play one against the other, and log all their communication.

Here's the code I can write (the get_fifo() function is not implemented, because that's what I don't know to do it Windows):

class Pusher(Thread):
        def __init__(self, source, dest, p1, name):
                Thread.__init__(self)
                self.source = source
                self.dest = dest
                self.name = name
                self.p1 = p1

        def run(self):
                while (self.p1.poll()==None) and\
                      (not self.source.closed) and (not self.source.closed):
                        line = self.source.readline()
                        logging.info('%s: %s' % (self.name, line[:-1]))
                        self.dest.write(line)
                        self.dest.flush()


exe_to_pythonmodule_reader, exe_to_pythonmodule_writer =\
                          get_fifo()
pythonmodule_to_exe_reader, pythonmodule_to_exe_writer =\
                          get_fifo()

p1 = subprocess.Popen(exe, shell=False, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE)

old_stdin = sys.stdin
old_stdout = sys.stdout

sys.stdin = exe_to_pythonmodule_reader
sys.stdout = pythonmodule_to_exe_writer

push1 = Pusher(p1.stdout, exe_to_pythonmodule_writer, p1, '1')
push2 = Pusher(pythonmodule_to_exe_reader, p1.stdin, p1, '2')

push1.start()
push2.start()
ret = pythonmodule.play()
sys.stdin = old_stdin
sys.stdout = old_stdout

Solution

  • Following the two answers above, I accidentally bumped into the answer. os.pipe() does the job. Thank you for your answers.

    I'm posting the complete code in case someone else is looking for this:

    import subprocess
    from threading import Thread
    import time
    import sys
    import logging
    import tempfile
    import os
    
    import game_playing_module
    
    class Pusher(Thread):
        def __init__(self, source, dest, proc, name):
            Thread.__init__(self)
            self.source = source
            self.dest = dest
            self.name = name
            self.proc = proc
    
        def run(self):
            while (self.proc.poll()==None) and\
                  (not self.source.closed) and (not self.dest.closed):
                line = self.source.readline()
                logging.info('%s: %s' % (self.name, line[:-1]))
                self.dest.write(line)
                self.dest.flush()
    
    def get_reader_writer():
        fd_read, fd_write = os.pipe()
        return os.fdopen(fd_read, 'r'), os.fdopen(fd_write, 'w')
    
    def connect(exe):
        logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG,\
                            format='%(message)s',\
                            filename=LOG_FILE_NAME,
                            filemode='w')
    
        program_to_grader_reader, program_to_grader_writer =\
                                  get_reader_writer()
    
        grader_to_program_reader, grader_to_program_writer =\
                                  get_reader_writer()
    
        p1 = subprocess.Popen(exe, shell=False, stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=subprocess.PIPE)        
    
        old_stdin = sys.stdin
        old_stdout = sys.stdout
    
        sys.stdin = program_to_grader_reader
        sys.stdout = grader_to_program_writer
    
        push1 = Pusher(p1.stdout, program_to_grader_writer, p1, '1')
        push2 = Pusher(grader_to_program_reader, p1.stdin, p1, '2')
    
        push1.start()
        push2.start()
    
        game_playing_module.play()
    
        sys.stdin = old_stdin
        sys.stdout = old_stdout
    
        fil = file(LOG_FILE, 'r')
        data = fil.read()
        fil.close()
        return data
    
    if __name__=='__main__':
        if len(sys.argv) != 2:
            print 'Usage: connect.py exe'
            print sys.argv
            exit()
        print sys.argv
        print connect(sys.argv[1])