Add shutil.open

[ganadist]

BPO	3177
Nosy	@ronaldoussoren, @tebeka, @pitrou, @larryhastings, @giampaolo, @benjaminp, @mcepl, @merwok, @bitdancer, @smarnach, @Fak3, @danpla
Files	os_startfile.diff: patch that implemented os.startfile() shutil_open.py: implementation sketch shutil_launch.py: The last 1/3rd of Rebert's implementation of shutil.open() shutil_open.patch: Implementation of shutil_open feature, untested on Windows shutil_open.patch shutil_open.patch: provides shutil.launch() to do os.startfile() cross-platform shutil_open.patch: another round of improvement shutil_open.patch: revised patch issue3177-os_startfile_macosx.txt

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2008-06-23.11:38:23.901>
labels = ['type-feature', 'library']
title = 'Add shutil.open'
updated_at = <Date 2018-03-02.17:06:15.586>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/ganadist'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2018-03-02.17:06:15.586>
actor = 'Socob'
assignee = 'none'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Library (Lib)']
creation = <Date 2008-06-23.11:38:23.901>
creator = 'ganadist'
dependencies = []
files = ['10715', '25310', '25311', '25312', '25315', '25317', '25319', '25332', '26624']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 3177
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 62.0
messages = ['68623', '68650', '68664', '140059', '140275', '140276', '140280', '140283', '140415', '140416', '140418', '140419', '157216', '157246', '157247', '157258', '159000', '159001', '159004', '159005', '159006', '159007', '159008', '159009', '159010', '159017', '159020', '159029', '159030', '159034', '159037', '159038', '159039', '159043', '159044', '159051', '159056', '159058', '159059', '159062', '159063', '159064', '159065', '159068', '159069', '159121', '159505', '159507', '161569', '161613', '161631', '161687', '161688', '161837', '161852', '161853', '161854', '161858', '167011', '310214', '311549', '311552']
nosy_count = 19.0
nosy_names = ['ronaldoussoren', 'tebeka', 'pitrou', 'larry', 'giampaolo.rodola', 'benjamin.peterson', 'mcepl', 'eric.araujo', 'ganadist', 'Arfrever', 'r.david.murray', 'cvrebert', 'rosslagerwall', 'smarnach', 'Roman.Evstifeev', 'Hobson.Lane', 'plakhotich', 'Socob', 'amirjn']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'low'
resolution = None
stage = None
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue3177'
versions = ['Python 3.3']

[ganadist]

Currently, os.startfile is implemented in Win32 only, but there are
command line tools in Unix and MacOSX that have same behavior.

As a result of http://portland.freedesktop.org, unix desktop has command
line tool named "xdg-open"
(http://portland.freedesktop.org/xdg-utils-1.0/xdg-open.html).

And MacOSX has 'open'
(http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man1/open.1.html)
command, and it can be used in same condition.

[benjaminp]

Those commands can be easily used through the subprocess module.
However, if a patch is provided, it could be accepted.

[ganadist]

I implemented os.startfile on posix and MacOSX as you said.

but it need more work to handle error.

[rosslagerwall]

Closed bpo-12522 as a duplicate.

It contains a link to a discussion on python-ideas requesting the feature.

[merwok]

I’m not sure we want to copy the Windows startfile call for other OSes. The os module is designed to wrap system-level calls, masking OS differences (for sendfile, for example) but not going further; it’s up to other modules (like shutil) to build more convenient APIs on top of what os provides. xdg-open is a program that’s used to open files or URIs, but it does not provide other actions like Windows’ startfile does (edit, print, etc.), nor is it backed by a system call. For these reasons, I think it’s inappropriate to implement os.startfile for non-Windows systems. People can use subprocess to run open or xdg-open.

[giampaolo]

+1 on what Eric just said.
See bpo-10882 and msg 126049

[merwok]

So, unless someone wants to turn this request into “Add shutil.open”, I’ll close it in a few days. (I haven’t found the original discussion; if someone could add a link to the archives on mail.python.org or copy relevant quotes, it could help.)

[cool-RR]

Eric, I have no problem with this function being placed in shutil instead of os, as long as it's implemented and it's in the standard library, and people don't have to use subprocess to run open or xdg-open themselves as I currently do.

So I have no problem with renaming this bug to "Add shutil.open".

[merwok]

as long as it's implemented and it's in the standard library, and
people don't have to use subprocess to run open or xdg-open themselves
as I currently do.

This new function would call os.startfile on Windows, xdg-open where applicable, and open on Mac OS X (using a subprocess for these last two).

I found the python-ideas thread: http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-ideas/2011-July/010674.html
There was only limited support.

[vstinner]

dependencies: + Finding programs in PATH, adding shutil.which

Why did you add this dependency? For example, subprocess is able to locate a program if the program has no full path. We don't need a which function.

[merwok]

See also lengthy discussion on bpo-1301512.