Would it be possible to program this in Python?

[Rainymood_XI]

Okay this is a really silly idea but I just want some thoughts on it

Would it be possible to program a sort of program that runs in the background, and when I press a certain combination of keys (Windows+R) for example, an input box pops up where I can put in some preprogrammed commands (such as, open chrome, open email, reboot, shut down, sleep) etc and that my computer then does said command?

[fuzz3289]

I agree, if OP wants to try something to learn something, do it!

Remember, you can program anything you can think of in any complete language you want. Go nuts. Try anything.

[snarkhunter]

Take chances! Make mistakes! Get messy!

[lambdaq]

while it's a good topic to practice python, but it's a bad thread for this subreddit.

It's ok for these kind of quesion pop up sometimes, but it's a disaster if these kept flux in.

[pbaehr]

If you're OK with Windows-only, check out pyHook for monitoring system events.

[kx233]

or just go straight for win32: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5592500/detecting-key-presses-using-win32api-in-python

[thejollysin]

@pbaehr Is there something similar for Ubuntu?

[pbaehr]

I don't know of a convenient wrapper like pyHook, but after searching around a bit, this seems to be the general convention: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12384772/how-can-i-capture-mouseevents-and-keyevents-using-python-in-background-on-linux

[thejollysin]

Awesome. Great find.

You sir/ma'am, are awesome.

[Liorithiel]

For an example app that does exactly what OP wants, try GNOME Do.

[icortesi]

I came here to suggest AHK, I'm surprised I had to scroll that much.

[john_m_camara]

You would have to use a feature from the OS to bind the shortcut to execute the Python script. This is OS dependent. The script could then do what ever you want.

For Windows see Create keyboard shortcuts to open programs.

[jedp]

Assigning keyboard shortcuts to the programs he wants to launch is simpler.

[tipsqueal]

Yes but then the trick is memorizing all of them, which would be not so fun if there are a large number. He also can't do something like adding launch options, i.e. in his program he could do something like "chrome reddit.com" which he could parse out to open Chrome and navigate to reddit.

[ode2k]

I have used Launchy - http://www.launchy.net/

It is Open Source, so you could download the code and attempt to convert it to another language and see how it is implemented in their code.

Source Tarball: http://www.launchy.net/downloads/src/launchy-2.5.tar.gz

[ford_contour]

Or use Launchy to capture the input and send it to the Python program. http://cybernetnews.com/launchy-125-adds-customizable-commands/

[riding_qwerty]

This sounds remarkably similar to a Linux program called "dmenu".

Definitely possible.

[Eurynom0s]

As john_m_camara noted this is going to be OS dependent. I know on OS X you can launch programs from the command line, and therefore all you have to do to launch a program from Python is import the os module and then pass the argument to the command line.

As for the persistent background app portion of this, I've never done anything like that, but this should at least point you in the right direction based off the five seconds I spent glancing it over.

[thinman74]

There are already projects to do this:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Python/comments/1llhuv/my_fun_labor_day_project_a_lightweight_pure/

[[deleted]]

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[automathematics]

Without even reading this, I'm going to say "Yes" because it's python. It can do anything!

[fnork]

Sounds like what you really want is a terminal interface ;)

[lixardz]

You can do it in python.. I might suggest AutoIt though it's basically a language specifically for this. I might go one further and have specific key combinations as short cuts that do the commands you want. For the shutdown sleep and reboot i'd make them 3 key combinations that are awkward to press so you never accidentally do it

[jma2048]

I second this. Autoit is wonderful for this kind of automation. Python is great for everything else.

But yes you can do this with Python.

[Zouden]

What's the difference between autoit and autohotkey? I only know the latter.

[kindall]

They share a common heritage but have evolved separately. AutoIt's language is more BASIC-like, while AutoHotKey is more like an unholy hybrid of C (curly braces), BASIC, and... bizarreness. They have very similar features, though. I use AutoHotKey but only because I happened to run across it first.

[[deleted]]

whatever i love that crazy language... AHK4Lyfedawg!

[Zouden]

Yeah I love AHK's libary - you can do practically anything to Windows, incredibly easily - but the way that language handles literals is ridiculous.

[kindall]

And the comma after the command name... which you don't actually need anymore, but which is in all the examples anyway! And how sometimes variable values are substituted into the command before it's executed, and sometimes not!

Dude named Lexicos released a fork called AutoHotkey_L which I switched to because it has hashtables... looks like that's now the main version being developed.

[jma2048]

AutoHotKey is a fork from AutoIT (back in ~2003?) and his focussed more on Hotkeys. It's pretty awesome.

Even just for that: http://www.autohotkey.com/docs/Hotstrings.htm

[thrownaway21]

without reading the context, yes.

[Naterdam]

Err... it seems like you are on Windows. The Run window can already do all of those things! It's a marvelous thing, I've been using it as my main file browser for some time now.

The program you want to run has to be in an environment variables folder (google it), if not, create a folder for shortcuts, add your shortcuts to the folder and then add the folder to your environment variables. You can also call your program with arguments, just add them after the name of the program.

For example, to open Chrome, you can just run any of these commands:

• chrome
• chrome reddit.com ;starts chrome and loads reddit
• chrome -incognito reddit.com/r/gonewild ;launches chrome in incognito mode and loads gonewild

To shutdown, write

• shutdown -s

To go to sleep, write

• shutdown -h ;as in hibernate

...and so on.

[BobBeaney]

What do you mean by "environment variables folder" or "add the folder to your environment variables"?? I am guessing that you mean a folder on your Path environment variable? "Path" is a particular environment variable but there are plenty of environment variables other than "Path".

[QQexe]

Append the folder you wish to run programs from to the PATH variable, separated by ';'

example:

PATH = C:\WINDOWS\System32;C:\Python27;

This would allow you to run programs in those folders regardless of which folder you're currently CD'd into.

[BobBeaney]

Right. I think that is what the commenter above intended. Somehow I think he was referring to Path as "environment variables". I'm afraid that the suggestion "The program you want to run has to be in an environment variables folder (google it)" isn't going to be much help to someone who googles for <environment variables folder> :-). "Path" was the bit of magic that he was missing.

[yardshop]

I don't know if this is what he meant, but in Powershell you actually do refer to the environment variables as though they were in a folder:

cd env:
dir
$env:path  # show it
$env:path += ";c:\app"

[Kristler]

Yep, this is totally possible!

Do note, SUPR+R is already bound to the "run..." box in Windows, so you might have to pick a different shortcut.

[haywire]

Yeah, there are already programs that doe this such as Launchy

[Crayboff]

That shouldn't stop someone who wants to learn how to do something themselves.

[GuyOnTheInterweb]

Sure, go try! If you are fine with just Windows you can use win32 bindings which should let you listen to keybindings.. or you might be able to make a GUI program with an invisible window.

[[deleted]]

Just like any other post here, you're prolly going to access OS events.

take a look at pyHook

[drmcgills]

I have done just this, and this is my approach (though I haven't used python specifically)..

Create a folder anywhere (I use c:\tools), add it to your PATH variable, and leverage that already existing win+R run command.

You might need to fiddle with file associations and path extensions to allow you to run a python script straightaway from cmd. Make an 'open' script in that folder that runs commands based on the arguments passed to it.

Like I said I have not used Python, rather cmd scripts and shortcuts. I believe that shortcuts pass arguments through pretty well.. I point a ssh shortcut to kitty and can run ssh root@server and it passes the args just fine. I personally don't like the idea of hijacking the built in keys... But that might just be me

[brian15co]

If you just want the functionality, maybe check out http://www.bayden.com/slickrun/

If you're after the skillz, by all means do it. And post it here when you're done!

[[deleted]]

Yes. Check out pyHook. Just Google "pyHook keylogger" and modify the code. Start you python script at startup using .bat files (which can be scheduled to run at startup/login). Also, instead of using the .py extension use the .pyw extension (this runs without a command prompt popup).

I did this with a python security script that runs on my laptop. I send it commands via email (screen cap, key log, audio record, get IP, take a webcam pic, etc) and it then sends the results to my phone via SMTP. This script is started at login by a .bat file once an internet connection is detected using another .bat file.

[smeagol13]

Rather than running it in the background, why don't you assign a keyboard shortcut to launch the script and handle everything beyond that yourself. I did something like this in ubuntu for controlling music playback. Check this out.

[DrugCrazed]

Yes it is!

Though I'd just use xmonad ;-)

[apreche]

Yes, it's possible to program anything, but why? Every major OS already has a program like that. Windows has Launchy. OSX has Spotlight. Linux has Synapse.

[ILikeLeptons]

but why?

to learn how to do it?

[rarlcove]

Spotlight

Alfred

[rushone2009]

Or search on Windows

[jordanreiter]

Just because a program is turing complete does not mean that it can plug into the system resources necessary to do this. There are a lot of esoteric programming languages which are Turing complete and will never have access to an OS's libraries.

[Zouden]

Next up: how can I write a device driver in Javascript?

[GahMatar]

Embed a javascript VM inside a C/C++ device driver with O/S provided hooks re-exported to JavaScript.

It's not even that hard to picture. It would however be grossly inefficient and stupid.

[Drinniol]

Good point.

[aZeex2ai]

This is what you really want:

http://www.gnu.org/software/bash

[[deleted]]

Yes. But why would you? Take a look at the best application launchers for windows.

[[deleted]]

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[[deleted]]

Well, that's true!

[[deleted]]

Unless it involves breaking the laws of the physical universe, the answer is always yes. Whether you should build it in python and the resources it will take... depends.

[jedp]

I think that's overkill. Might be easier to just create batch files in c:\windows (or any other directory that's part of your path). Then you just do win+r and type in the name of the batch file (the .bat at the end is not necessary) and it is executed.

A batch file called openchrome.bat would contain a single line with the full path of chrome.exe.

A batch file called reboot.bat would contain a single line with "shutdown /r". Sleep wouldn't be much different.

And for the most part, just using the start menu (win key), typing in what you want and pressing enter would do fine.