How do I execute a python script from the command

Question

I apologize in advance if my terminology is off, but what I want to do is execute a python script using a custom command. So for example, I want to write a python script that accepts some shell arguments and performs some arbitrary shell commands. We'll call this script random.py. Instead of typing:

> python random.py arguments go here

I would like to be able to type something like:

> random arguments go here

So in other words, I want to get rid of the python command and omit the .py. I realize that I could use an alias but I also want to make this script available for anyone else that wants to use it, and I don't want to ask them to make an alias.

Basically what I'm after is something like meteor js, zurb foundation, or grunt. After I installed meteor I was able to create a new application by going to the shell and typing:

> meteor create --newapplicationname 

Same concept with foundation and grunt. That's the type of functionality I'm after. Any resources on how to do that sort of thing would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

If you use Setuptools for distributing you project, you can use Automatic Script Creation feature. Just put into setup.py script following code:

from setuptools import setup, find_packages
setup(
    name = "Random",
    version = "0.1",
    packages = find_packages(),
    entry_points = {
        'console_scripts': [
            'random = random:main_func',
        ],
    }
)

A shell script "random", which actually runs function "main_func" from module "random", will be available after project installation.

Answer 2

What worked for me (Ubuntu) is putting a symbolic link in /usr/local/bin like this,

$> sudo ln -s /path/to/your/python/script/random.py /usr/local/bin/random
$> sudo chmod 755 /usr/local/bin/random

(If you want to automate this step just put these two commands in a bash script). Normally the terminal should now find the script and execute it if you just type

$> random arg1 arg2

Just make sure your python script starts with

#!/usr/bin/python