Setting Environment Variables

[Grant Edwards]

On 2004-10-20, Greg Lindstrom <greg.lindstrom at novasyshealth.com> wrote:

> I am running python 2.3. on an HP-9000 box running Unix and have a POSIX
> script that sets up my production environment.  I would like to run the
> script from inside a python routine and pick up the environment variables

What do you mean by "pick up the environment variables"?

You do not have access to the environment of the child process, if that's
what you mean.

> but am having trouble getting it done.  Suppose the script is called
> setprod.  How can I call this from inside a python script then pick up the
> env's later in my program?

You don't.

> I've tried os.system ('setprod') and os.system('. setprod'), but neither
> seemed to work.

That's right.

You're going to have to change the script to print the data of interest to
stdout or stderr, and read it via a pipe.  The child process can't change
the environment of the parent, and the parent can't read the environment of
the child.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  If I pull this SWITCH
                                  at               I'll be RITA HAYWORTH!! Or
                               visi.com            a SCIENTOLOGIST!