How do I give additional arguments when using Python to open on application on Mac?

Question

I'm playing around with Flightgear and I'd like a way to launch /Applications/FlightGear.app from a Python script with a specific aircraft, but it's not accepting additional parameters.

This works:

os.system("open /Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS/fgfs")

This does, but does not select the aircraft... I've tried both with and without hyphens in front of 'aircraft'.

os.system("open /Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS/fgfs --args aircraft=777-200ER")

For references,

_{(source: flightgear.org)}

ohmu · Accepted Answer · 2014-05-16 14:17:06Z

2

Something like this. Sometimes some of the arguments will have to be combined, depending on their relation to each other.

import subprocess
p = subprocess.Popen(['open', '/Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS/fgfs', '--args', 'aircraft=777-200ER'])
if p.wait() != 0:
  raise EnvironmentError()

This is basic information that could've been found simply by searching "python run command" in Google. SO isn't just a tool for the lazy.

edited May 16, 2014 at 14:17

ohmu

19.9k44 gold badges114 silver badges151 bronze badges

answered May 16, 2014 at 14:01

Dustin Oprea

10.3k17 gold badges75 silver badges113 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

3 Comments

MaxQ Over a year ago

I spent several minutes searching around doing my homework and read similar answers but did not realise that the difference of running it with open and without. Found it now that I stopped searching for 'how to open an application'...

Dustin Oprea Over a year ago

The Python documentation is very good. Assume that if you haven't ended-up there, you haven't searched for the right thing, and should just go there directly. Though, in all of the projects and time that I've spent on Python, I've never had to go to the Python website directly. Anyways, be sure to accept the answer.

MaxQ Over a year ago

Tried the code and it's not reading off the parameters, launches straight into the default aircraft, even after appending the --aircraft necessary in Andrew's answer.

Andrew Jaffe · Accepted Answer · 2014-05-16 14:31:07Z

0

On OS X, open is to run an application. To run a command-line program you would just do it like on unix/linux, assuming that /Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS/fgfs is actually a runnable program.

I can't test it for this particular case, but I think you want os.system() to run exactly what you would type at the command-line prompt. Hence,

os.system("/Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS/fgfs --aircraft=777-200ER")

edited May 16, 2014 at 14:31

answered May 16, 2014 at 13:56

Andrew Jaffe

27.2k4 gold badges54 silver badges59 bronze badges

5 Comments

MaxQ Over a year ago

>>> os.system("open /Applications/FlightGear.app/Contents/MacOS/fgfs aircraft=777-200ER") The file /aircraft=777-200ER does not exist.  256

:(

unwind Over a year ago

No, the manual page for open() clearly describes the --args argument.

Andrew Jaffe Over a year ago

To be clear: this answer works? If so, please upvote!

MaxQ Over a year ago

@AndrewJaffe it works when I also append -- in front of aircraft. I've used my upvote, two others must have downvoted :(

Andrew Jaffe Over a year ago

Thanks -- I added the -- where it belongs.

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

How do I give additional arguments when using Python to open on application on Mac?

2 Answers 2

3 Comments

5 Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

2 Answers 2

3 Comments

5 Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related