Ubuntu
python-defaults package

Running python scripts

Asked by Earl Porter

When I try to run a Python script (which is nothing but print commands of html tags) Firefox pops up the Downloads directory window and another window wanting to know what program I want to open the script (with gedit being the default). Firefox recognises that it is a Python file but doesn't automatically process it. Is there some thing I have to turn on in Firefox?

Question information

Language:
English Edit question
Status:
Solved
For:
Ubuntu python-defaults Edit question
Assignee:
No assignee Edit question
Solved by:
mycae
Solved:
Last query:
Last reply:
Revision history for this message
mycae (mycae) said : 		#1

Save the file to your home folder,

then open a terminal, and type
 python "PYTHONSCRIPT"

where "PYTHONSCRIPT" is replaced by the name of the python script (you should keep the quotes around the name if it has spaces in the name).

Make sure you know what the script does first -- there is nothing preventing it from deleting your user's files :).

Revision history for this message
Earl Porter (eporter1955) said : 		#2

The script is supposed to print something to the browser screen. It is simply html flags of html, head, title, body and heading. If I call the script with Safari browser it prints out the script. Other browsers want to save it or choose open method.

Revision history for this message
Best mycae (mycae) said : 		#3

>The script is supposed to print something to the browser screen.

The script should do no such thing.... The browser is a separate process, and should not be directly interpreting python; there is discussion on this topic throughout the interwebs. For example: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3688708/python-safe-sandbox

Python was always intended to be useful when it has normal OS level access.

>It is simply
>html flags of html, head, title, body and heading.

Just save-as if you want to execute it, or if you want to see the content, open it with gedit.

Just be mindful that just because a script says it does X, does not mean it actually does X -- one could easily slip in a:

if randint(0,100) == 10 :
    deleteUsersFiles

and you would be safe 99 times out of 100.... 1 in 100 times though :)

So it might just be worth having a quick glance over the script for safety's sake.

Revision history for this message
Earl Porter (eporter1955) said : 		#4

Thanks mycae, that solved my question.