processUtils

Lightweight utilities for launching and managing subprocesses in Python with basic support for asynchronous stdout/stderr consumption.

Overview

processUtils provides a thin wrapper around Python’s subprocess.Popen, aiming to simplify process execution and enable non-blocking access to a process’s output streams. It uses background threads and queues to continuously read stdout and stderr, making it possible to inspect output while the process is still running.

Features

• Start subprocesses with a simple interface
• Asynchronous reading of stdout and stderr
• Accumulated output accessible during execution
• Basic process lifecycle management (start, terminate, kill)
• Minimal abstraction over subprocess.Popen

Limitations

This project was originally developed for Python 2 and has several constraints:

• Python 2-oriented: Requires adaptation for Python 3 (e.g., Queue → queue, print syntax)
• Limited portability: Uses os.setsid, making it Unix-specific
• Memory usage: Stores full stdout/stderr in memory, which may not scale for verbose processes
• Latency: Output updates rely on polling with sleep, introducing delays
• Partial interactivity: Input handling is not designed for continuous interaction
• Dependencies: Relies on a non-standard logging module (logengine)
• Maintenance status: Not actively maintained or production-hardened

When to Use

This library may be useful for:

• Simple automation scripts
• Internal tooling where lightweight process control is sufficient
• Situations where real-time access to subprocess output is needed without complex setup

When Not to Use

Consider modern alternatives if you need:

• Full Python 3 compatibility
• High-performance or large-scale process handling
• Robust cross-platform behavior
• True asynchronous I/O

Recommended alternatives:

• subprocess.run (simple use cases)
• subprocess.Popen (manual control)
• asyncio.create_subprocess_exec (async workflows)

Example

from processUtils import Process

p = Process("ls -la")
p.start()

while p.running:
    print(p.stdout)

print("Process finished with code:", p.returncode)

Notes

This project reflects a pragmatic approach to subprocess handling at the time it was written. While still functional for certain use cases, it is not intended to compete with modern, actively maintained solutions.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.