Windows is not passing command line arguments to P

Question

I'm having trouble getting command line arguments passed to Python programs if I try to execute them directly as executable commands from a Windows command shell. For example, if I have this program (test.py):

import sys
print "Args: %r" % sys.argv[1:]

And execute:

>test foo
Args: []

as compared to:

>python test.py foo
Args: ['foo']

My configuration has:

PATH=...;C:\python25;...
PATHEXT=...;.PY;....

>assoc .py
.py=Python.File

>ftype | grep Python
Python.CompiledFile="C:\Python25\python.exe" "%1" %*
Python.File="C:\Python25\python.exe" "%1" %*
Python.NoConFile="C:\Python25\pythonw.exe" "%1" %*

Answer 1

To make it working for me, I had to use the registry path:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file\shell\open\command

and added a %*

Answer 2

For Python 3.3 on Windows 7, my setting was under another registry key; the key I changed to make the arguments get passed was

HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-3922133726-554333396-2662258059-1000_Classes\py_auto_file\shell\open\command

It was "C:\Python\Python33\python.exe" "%1". I only appended %* to it. The key's value is now "C:\Python\Python33\python.exe" "%1" %*.

I had several (at least five) other keys with the value "C:\Python\Python33\python.exe" "%1", but this is the one I changed that made it work.

Answer 3

My setting was under yet another registry key, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file. The other keys mentioned also existed, but Windows was using this one for some reason.

Answer 4

Here are .reg files to fix for Python 3.6, 2.7 and Anaconda3:

python-3.6.0.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.py]
@="Python.File"
"Content Type"="text/plain"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pyc]
@="Python.CompiledFile"
"Content Type"="text/plain"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pyw]
@="Python.NoConFile"
"Content Type"="text/plain"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python36\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python36\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File]
@="Python File"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python36\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python36\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile]
@="Compiled Python File"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python36\\DLLs\\pyc.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python36\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile]
@="Python File (no console)"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python36\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python36\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"

python-2.7.0.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.py]
@="Python.File"
"Content Type"="text/plain"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pyc]
@="Python.CompiledFile"
"Content Type"="text/plain"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pyw]
@="Python.NoConFile"
"Content Type"="text/plain"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python27\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File]
@="Python File"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python27\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile]
@="Compiled Python File"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python27\\DLLs\\pyc.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile]
@="Python File (no console)"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Python27\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Python27\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"

ananconda3.reg (change username)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.py]
@="Python.File"
"Content Type"="text/plain"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pyc]
@="Python.CompiledFile"
"Content Type"="text/plain"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.pyw]
@="Python.NoConFile"
"Content Type"="text/plain"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\py_auto_file\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File]
@="Python File"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.File\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile]
@="Compiled Python File"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\DLLs\\pyc.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.CompiledFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"


[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile]
@="Python File (no console)"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\DLLs\\py.ico"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Python.NoConFile\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Users\\username\\Anaconda3\\python.exe\" \"%1\" %*"

Answer 5

Interesting. Works here using python 2.6 and Windows XP (5.1.2600):

C:\Documents and Settings\hbrown>python test.py foo
['test.py', 'foo']

C:\Documents and Settings\hbrown>test.py foo
['C:\\Documents and Settings\\hbrown\\test.py', 'foo']

C:\Documents and Settings\hbrown>test foo
['C:\\Documents and Settings\\hbrown\\test.py', 'foo']

C:\Documents and Settings\hbrown>type test.py
import sys
print sys.argv 

C:\Documents and Settings\hbrown>echo %PATHEXT%
.COM;.EXE;.BAT;.CMD;.VBS;.VBE;.JS;.JSE;.WSF;.WSH;.PY 

C:\Documents and Settings\hbrown>assoc .py
.py=Python.File

Answer 6

Your program associations for .py files might be messed up. Just re-associate .py files with your python executable.

Right click a .py file > Open with > Choose default program ... > [find C:\PythonXY\python.exe]