[Tutor] passing variables to the system command

[Alan Gauld]

> I'm having problems finding a way to pass variables when using the
systems
> command in python.

> argument1 = filename1
> argument2 = filename2
>
> os.system("some_other_python_script.py argument1 argument2")

Try:

os.system("some_other_python_script.py %s %s" % (argument1,
argument2))

In other words insert the values using the string format operator.

Also you might be safer calling python explicitly:

command ="python some_python_script.py %s %s" % (argument1, argument2)
os.system(command)

> os.system("chmod u+x argument1")

The problem with this approach is that the external environment
that system() creates has no idea what argument1 means - it only
exists inside your program. You have to translate argument1 back
into a literal value before calling system()

HTH

Alan G
Author of the Learn to Program web tutor
http://www.freenetpages.co.uk/hp/alan.gauld