double click a file to run python script. how to get that file as an input?

Question

I want to be able to create a program that can save text files with my own extension at the end. later the user should be able to double click on that file to run the program and open that file.

I need to know how to make the python program the default program a file opens whenever the user double click on it , and also how to get that file when the program starts running.

python 2.7 mac os x 10.6 and windows 7

edit: say as an example, i was making a paint program. the user wants to save the file he was working on. my program will save it as untitled.paint, later the user double click on untitled.paint and expects my program to open up that file.

is there a way for me to tell the operating system to open all files ending with .paint with my paint program.

I can't save it as a .jpg because that won't save the layers or anything else.

this question is really unclear - maybe you should add an example, usecase,something — alonisser
– alonisser, Commented Mar 26, 2012 at 21:32
You left out a lot of context here. What type of file are you writing? What do you want done with the file when it's passed to python? You should edit your question and give more detail as to what you want to do, and what you've tried already, and why it isn't working. — Wilduck
– Wilduck, Commented Mar 26, 2012 at 21:33
I think the question is asking, "On MacOSX, how do I make a Python script the default handler for files of extension ABC?" All the detail needed is there. — Brigand
– Brigand, Commented Mar 26, 2012 at 21:37
As @Fake says, this is an OS X question. I added the "OSX" tag for you, that way your question might get looked at by someone who knows the answer. (You might also want to adopt his phrasing in your question text). — alexis
– alexis, Commented Mar 27, 2012 at 11:04

lost · Accepted Answer · 2022-05-04 08:07:39Z

2

Don't know about OSX but in Windows you can do it as follows:

Create a batch file
Select a file of the type you want to open "automatically", and use "Open with..." in the context menu to select the batch file as the default program to use.
The batch file will get the "clicked" file passed argument 1, which you can then pass to your Python script as an argument - it then receives it as sys.argv[1].

An example using an extension ".paint" which is opened using a hypothetical python script pypaint.py may clarify things:

run_paint.bat:

@echo off
echo 'clicked file is' %1
python path_to_pypaint.py %1

py_paint.py:

import sys
print('opening', sys.argv[1])

edited May 4, 2022 at 8:07

user7864386

answered Jun 25, 2012 at 15:20

lost

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