[issue18868] Python3 unbuffered stdin

[Joe Borg]

New submission from Joe Borg:

I'm in need of an unbuffered stdin for Python3.  Using the '-u' flag worked fine in Python2.  But, it seems, Python3's stdin is always buffered; as seen in http://bugs.python.org/issue4705.

This is not always desirable.  For example:

#!/bin/python3
import os, subprocess, time

with open("%s/unbuffered_test.log" % (os.getenv("HOME")), "w") as f:
    with subprocess.Popen(["%s/unbuffered_test.sh" % (os.getenv("HOME"))], stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=f, stderr=f) as p:
        p.stdin.write(bytes("test\n", encoding="utf-8"))
        time.sleep(10)

Where unbuffered_test.sh is:
#!/bin/sh
read INPUT
echo $INPUT
exit 0

Running with -u in Python2 sees the log file populated before the 10 seconds are up.  This isn't the case in Python3.  This making controlling applications, using subprocess, basically impossible; without putting p.stdin.flush() after each command (which does work in the example above).

I ran this example in Python3.3.2.

----------
messages: 196359
nosy: Joe.Borg
priority: normal
severity: normal
status: open
title: Python3 unbuffered stdin
versions: Python 3.1, Python 3.2, Python 3.3, Python 3.4, Python 3.5

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Python tracker <report at bugs.python.org>
<http://bugs.python.org/issue18868>
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