python - How to just call a command and not get its output

Question

(This question already has answers here): question from:https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4996852/how-to-just-call-a-command-and-not-get-its-output

Answer 1

p = subprocess.Popen(cmd, stdout=subprocess.PIPE, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
out, err = p.communicate()
# do something with out, err, or don't bother altogether.

Basically, this "pipes" whatever cmd outputs to stdout and stderr to in-memory buffers prepared by subprocess. What you do with the content of those buffers are up to you. You can examine them, or don't bother with them altogether. But the side effect of piping to these buffers is that they won't be printed to the terminal's.

edit: This also works with the convenience method, call. For a demonstration:

>>> subprocess.call('ping 127.0.0.1')

Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
    Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
0
>>> subprocess.call('ping 127.0.0.1', stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
0

edit-2: A note of caution for subprocess.call:

Note: Do not use stdout=PIPE or stderr=PIPE with this function. As the pipes are not being read in the current process, the child process may block if it generates enough output to a pipe to fill up the OS pipe buffer.