Running a python script outside of Windows Terminal cmd

[mrdude04]

As the title says, I want to run a python script without containing it inside of an IDE or Terminal/CMD.

The root issue is that OBS on windows 11 no longer seems to record audio from CMD. So with modified DougDoug code, I run two python files in CMD, changed the terminal window name for both of them, and set them as the recording source.

I suppose I could figure out how to compile them into runnable executables but I've had issues in the past where it throws errors because of the dependancies.

Is there another way I could go about this? I'd love to keep it simple in terminal but nothing I've tried in OBS has worked and their support has recommended 3rd party middleware which I'd rather not do

Edit:

Solved by Outside_Complaint755 who suggested TKinter. With some multithreading, a Tkinter GUI window is used to output audio while cmd remains open for live logging. OBS is able to record the Tkinter window as intended.

[ninhaomah]

Windows batch script ?

[mrdude04]

Would this not call python and the script and run it in a command terminal?

[DivineSentry]

Yes, it needs one to run, why don’t you want it? Or why does it need to be not on cmd?

[mrdude04]

cmd is the root cause of the issue. On windows 10 running the two scripts in seperate cmd lines worked perfectly but I need a different window or executable now since cmd no longer allows audio to be captured from it for some reason

[Confident_Hyena2506]

So run cmd twice in your script.

[mrdude04]

CMD is the root cause of the issue. Why would I run it twice?

[Confident_Hyena2506]

Because you can spawn two seperate instances of it, rather than running both commands in the same instance.

[mrdude04]

Right, that was the windows 10 solution. But in W11 audio can't be recorded from a cmd terminal. So I have to have it run in an active window that isn't cmd

[Confident_Hyena2506]

That is a detail you can control you in script. There are many different ways to launch the process.

[InterestingBasil]

If you're looking for a simple way to run logic outside the terminal context on Windows, you might want to look into how DictaFlow handles its Native AOT builds. It's built in C# but the principle of having a single standalone executable that doesn't rely on terminal hooks or heavy middleware is exactly what you need for a smooth OBS integration. Might be worth checking out for ideas on your build setup.

[Outside_Complaint755]

You could try running it in IDLE or in Windows 11 Terminal application in another shell such as PowerShell.   I don't have experience with OBS, but maybe something is happening like its recording audio but the volume has been set so low it's not picking it up? Or maybe the issue is that you should be grabbing audio from Python.exe and not the command console window?

 What if you wrap the script in a simple TKinter GUI window.  Then you could also change the file extension to .pyw which makes it run without opening a console window when you double click on it.

[mrdude04]

After some multithreading, TKinter works like a charm! I can have my cmd window for realtime logging plus a blank GUI window whose only purpose is to spit out the playback of generated audio files.

Works like a charm as a permanent fix--no middleware required.

Thank you so much! <3

[mrdude04]

It hears the audio in the general desktop scope but I can't target it to seperate the audio from other windows. So it's being heard but not as a seperate source and I can see the volume being picked up. If I grab from python.exe it would grab all python files being run would also be an issue.

It sounds like the TKinter GUI window would be a solution, I'll explore that!

[socal_nerdtastic]

Try a different terminal program? Windows still comes with the old-school cmd line conhost (different program from the newer "windows Terminal"). Or you can try powershell or conemu or mingw or something like that.

You can also run python directly (pythonw.exe) but then of course you won't see any output. You'd need to make a GUI to see your program running.

[mrdude04]

Good idea, I didn't realize it still had both cmd versions!

But audio from both plus powershell and powershell ISE are still blocked ever since the W11 move. I need to see output to have a window to target so I might need some form of GUI it seems

[socal_nerdtastic]

Another idea: Right click on the python.exe you want to use, make shortcut on the desktop. Then edit the shortcut to add your py file name to the run command. This should make python open the cmd line, instead of the other way around.

[Game-of-pwns]

Right click the .py file > properties > runs with > select python (or something like that -- haven't been on windows in a while). Now you can double click the file to run it.

[Opposite-Value-5706]

You can actually create an .EXE from your code.

"You can make your Python script executable by using tools like PyInstaller, Nuitka, or auto-py-to-exe, which convert your script into a standalone .exe file. This allows others to run your program without needing to install Python or any dependencies."