Python Nautilus script

[Diez B. Roggisch]

Michel Leunen schrieb:
> Diez B. Roggisch a écrit :
> 
>> There shouldn't be a difference between a shell-script and a 
>> python-script. Environment-variables are a unix-process-thing, and 
>> thus the rules that govern them apply to *all* processes - the shell 
>> is one of these, there is nothing special to it.
>>
>> If the shell-script gets the variable, the python-script will as well.
> 
> Yes, that's what I thought too but try this: open a terminal and type
> 
> $ echo $HOSTNAME
> 
> you will get the name of your computer.
> Now try this instead:
> 
> $ python
>  >>> import os
>  >>> os.environ['HOSTNAME']
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
>   File "/usr/lib/python2.5/UserDict.py", line 22, in __getitem__
>     raise KeyError(key)
> KeyError: 'HOSTNAME'
>  >>>

Which is the exact right thing to happen if the HOSTNAME is not exported.

The echo above is executed IN THE CURRENT SHELL environment. If it 
weren't - why would there be any distinction between local and exported 
variables at all?

If you put


> It appears that's because HOSTNAME is not exported.
> But in the case of Nautilus script, how to workaround this issue?

I don't know for sure if the shell has something build-in that makes it 
spawn shell-subprocesses with a different environment than other processes.

However, if you want you can do something like this:

#!/bin/bash
export VARIABLE_NAME
python /the/python/script.py

You create a shell-script that exports the environment first, and then 
invokes python.

Diez