How to store os.system() output in a variable or a list in python [duplicate]

Answer 1

To add to Paul's answer (using subprocess.check_output):

I slightly rewrote it to work easier with commands that can throw errors (e.g. calling "git status" in a non-git directory will throw return code 128 and a CalledProcessError)

Here's my working Python 2.7 example:

import subprocess

class MyProcessHandler( object ):
    # *********** constructor
    def __init__( self ):
        # return code saving
        self.retcode = 0

    # ************ modified copy of subprocess.check_output()

    def check_output2( self, *popenargs, **kwargs ):
        # open process and get returns, remember return code
        pipe = subprocess.PIPE
        process = subprocess.Popen( stdout = pipe, stderr = pipe, *popenargs, **kwargs )
        output, unused_err = process.communicate( )
        retcode = process.poll( )
        self.retcode = retcode

        # return standard output or error output
        if retcode == 0:
            return output
        else:
            return unused_err

# call it like this
my_call = "git status"
mph = MyProcessHandler( )
out = mph.check_output2( my_call )
print "process returned code", mph.retcode
print "output:"
print out

Answer 2

There are many good SO links on this one. try Running shell command from Python and capturing the output or Assign output of os.system to a variable and prevent it from being displayed on the screen for starters. In short

import subprocess
direct_output = subprocess.check_output('ls', shell=True) #could be anything here.

The shell=True flag should be used with caution:

From the docs: Warning

Invoking the system shell with shell=True can be a security hazard if combined with untrusted input. See the warning under Frequently Used Arguments for details.

See for much more info: http://docs.python.org/2/library/subprocess.html

Answer 3

If you are calling os.system() in an interactive shell, os.system() prints the standard output of the command ('14549', the wc -l output), and then the interpreter prints the result of the function call itself (0, a possibly unreliable exit code from the command). An example with a simpler command:

Python 3.3.2 (v3.3.2:d047928ae3f6, May 16 2013, 00:06:53) [MSC v.1600 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import os
>>> os.system("echo X")
X
0
>>>

Answer 4

you can use os.popen().read()

import os
out = os.popen('date').read()

print out
Tue Oct  3 10:48:10 PDT 2017