[Python-Dev] Install-on-first-use vs. optional extensions (original) (raw)

Thomas Heller theller at python.net
Wed Sep 8 20:34:57 CEST 2004

"Martin v. Löwis" <martin at v.loewis.de> writes:

Guido van Rossum wrote:

I frequently use the extension feature in a console context; when I am in a directory full of .py files, I can run any one of them by simply typing its name (and possibly command line arguments). The script will then interact through the existing console window. WIll this work? No. I didn't (really) know that was possible (although Mr Rivest's bug report should have taught me). I've tried to fix it, and now think this is impossible: Even though XP provides an AttachConsole call (which doesn't exist in earlier releases or W9x), which allows to write in the console from which the binary was started, there is apparently no way to tell cmd.exe that it should wait for completion, instead of immediately giving a prompt. I have now reverted the change to create launcher.exe, and install python.exe and pythonw.exe twice (the second time as extpy.exe and extpyw.exe). P.S. Out of curiosity, and to the WINDOWS GURUS ON THIS LIST: How does cmd.exe know whether the program started is a console application or not? Is there any API for that? Just looking at the file being run is clearly insufficient - if the file is foo.py, it needs to look at python.exe.

It seems to be a flag in the exe header. A quick google search turned up this:

http://www.codeguru.com/Cpp/W-P/system/misc/article.php/c2897/

Thomas

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