module to run commands in a Terminal.app window

Lib/plat-mac/terminalcommand.py

+"""terminalcommand.py -- A minimal interface to Terminal.app.
+
+To run a shell command in a new Terminal.app window:
+
+    import terminalcommand
+    terminalcommand.run("ls -l")
+
+No result is returned; it is purely meant as a quick way to run a script
+with a decent input/output window.
+"""
+
+#
+# This module is a fairly straightforward translation of Jack Jansen's
+# Mac/OSX/PythonLauncher/doscript.m.
+#
+
+import time
+import os
+from Carbon import AE
+from Carbon.AppleEvents import *
+
+
+TERMINAL_SIG = "trmx"
+START_TERMINAL = "/usr/bin/open /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app"
+SEND_MODE = kAENoReply  # kAEWaitReply hangs when run from Terminal.app itself
+
+
+def run(command):
+    """Run a shell command in a new Terminal.app window."""
+    termAddress = AE.AECreateDesc(typeApplSignature, TERMINAL_SIG)
+    theEvent = AE.AECreateAppleEvent(kAEMiscStandards, kAEActivate,
+                                     termAddress, kAutoGenerateReturnID,
+                                     kAnyTransactionID)
+
+    try:
+        theEvent.AESend(SEND_MODE, kAENormalPriority,
+                        kAEDefaultTimeout)
+    except AE.Error, why:
+        if why[0] != -600:  # Terminal.app not yet running
+            raise
+        os.system(START_TERMINAL)
+        time.sleep(1)
+        theEvent.AESend(SEND_MODE, kAENormalPriority,
+                        kAEDefaultTimeout)
+
+    theEvent = AE.AECreateAppleEvent(kAECoreSuite, kAEDoScript, termAddress,
+                                     kAutoGenerateReturnID, kAnyTransactionID)
+    commandDesc = AE.AECreateDesc(typeChar, command)
+    theEvent.AEPutParamDesc(kAECommandClass, commandDesc)
+    theEvent.AESend(SEND_MODE, kAENormalPriority, kAEDefaultTimeout)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    run("ls -l")