I created a list of what values I needed to enter. Each item has 3 fields that need to be entered:

• Code
• Description
• Min Entry

All of the fields are strings and are set in the VALUES variable.

Highlights of the script:

• Set an interval of 0.5 seconds for pyautogui
• Set a sleep for 10 seconds to place the cursor in the correct spot on the screen for entry
• Calls to press('enter', interval=INTERVAL) advance the cursor to the next field and next row in the GUI
• A sleep call was added to val_code_entry function as a failsafe if the script needs to be halted via Ctrl+C

Script:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

"""Add codes to system."""

from time import sleep
from pyautogui import press, typewrite


INTERVAL = 0.5

# Sample Code, Description, and Min Entry values
VALUES = [
    ['Code01', 'CODE 1', 'C01', ],
    ['Code02', 'CODE 2', 'C02', ],
    ['Code03', 'CODE 3', 'C03', ],
    ['Code04', 'CODE 4', 'C04', ],
]


def val_code_entry(code: str, description: str, min_entry: str, sleep_: int = 3):
    """Code entry process."""
    typewrite(code, interval=INTERVAL)
    press('enter', interval=INTERVAL)
    typewrite(description, interval=INTERVAL)
    press('enter', interval=INTERVAL)
    typewrite(min_entry, interval=INTERVAL)
    press('enter', interval=INTERVAL)
    press('enter', interval=INTERVAL)
    press('enter', interval=INTERVAL)
    sleep(sleep_)


def main():
    """Main function."""
    for value in VALUES:
        val_code_entry(code=value[0],
                       description=value[1],
                       min_entry=value[2]
                       )


if __name__ == "__main__":
    print('Sleeping for 10 seconds for cursor placement...')
    sleep(10)
    main()

Ran the script and it worked. Saved my time and errors.

Enjoy! Happy Coding.

REFERENCES

• PyAutoGUI’s documentation
• pyautogui GitHub

Many times for work I create scripts or programs that do amazing things but do not get published. Many programming paradigms and problem-solving techniques can be showcased for others to learn from and discuss. We shall see what comes of these future blog posts, I think they will be beneficial.

The first script I will document is a Python script that will be used to update all users of an online system. I will dive into the reasoning for the change, document requirements, and share code samples from the script.

Stay tuned.

Your environment will need tools installed to compile the source code. There are countless resources are available online so I will not rehash it here. I suggest researching and looking into the tools you will need as you progress through the steps. Hitting breakpoints may allow for learning something new.

I am compiling to a macOS environment. Use a package manager like Homebrew for macOS to get the tools and utilities you need.

CPython source local copy

1. Clone the CPython repo from your GitHub repositories:

   $ git clone git@github.com:<username>/cpython.git
   

2. Configure an upstream remote:

   $ cd cpython
   $ git remote add upstream git@github.com:python/cpython.git
   You can verify that your setup is correct using:
   $ git remote -v
   

After these steps you should have a folder in your environment called cpython. This directory will have source files from the cpython github repo.

Compile > Build > Python

1. macOS install xcode developer tools:

   $ xcode-select --install
   

2. Homebrew install the following, you may need them:

   $ brew install openssl xz gdbm cmake wget pkg-config
   

3. Now configure Python. For this we will configure Python versions >= 3.7:

   $ ./configure --with-pydebug --with-openssl=$(brew --prefix openssl)
   

4. Then make:

   $ make -s -j2
   

Test Python

You should now have a file python.exe in the cpython folder. Let’s test it:

1. In the cpython folder type:

   $ ./python.exe
   

2. Try importing modules. Check the ssl module:

   $ import ssl
   

   If there are no errors it means everything is installed properly. Otherwise, some dependencies were missed during the installation.

3. Exit the REPL. Type exit() or quit() command.

4. In the cpython folder type:

   $ ./python.exe -m test_os
   Raised RLIMIT_NOFILE: 256 -> 1024
   0:00:00 load avg: 2.60 Run tests sequentially
   0:00:00 load avg: 2.60 [1/1] test_os
   == Tests result: SUCCESS ==
   1 test OK.
   Total duration: 3.7 sec
   Tests result: SUCCESS
   

5. Made it this far with no errors, great! If something went wrong retrace your steps and try to debug the issue.

Closing

Congratulations! You have a working, complied build of Python in your environment. Play around with the git repo and see if you can build different versions of Python.

Enjoy! Happy Coding.

REFERENCES

1. Getting Started - Python Developer's Guide
2. Homebrew
3. Build CPython on macOS

My solution is a keyboard shortcut. Quickly and easily, I can get a Python script template in my editor. An added benefit, I get consistency among my Python scripts.

I assign it to the typed shortcut ;;pytm (Python template) to expand into:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

""""""

def main():
    pass

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Let's explain each part for better understanding.

Shebang

#!/usr/bin/env python3

When executing a Python script, the shebang (#!) is used to tell your system what interpreter to use. Used in Unix/Linux-based operating systems. For more information please visit: Shebang

Regardless of the operating system, I add in the shebang at the top of the Python script.

Empty docstring

""""""

When creating modules in Python, it is good practice to add a docstring. Documentation is important in explaining your codeindent.

There is a Python Enhancement Proposals (PEP) about docstrings. PEP 257 -- Docstring Conventions

Main function

def main():
    pass

I define a main function for the module. This clearly indicates to the code reader this is the entry point to the script/program. Most times that reader is me in the future. Although this function could be named anything, many other languages use main as the entry point, so I follow that same convention in my Python scripts. Why reinvent the wheel, right?

name == “main”

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Part is Python syntax. This tells the interpreter if this module is executed, run all the statements in this if block. For more information, check out What does the if name == “main”: do?

myscript example

Here is a myscript.py example:

#!/usr/bin/env python3

"""Myscript - prints "Hello, World." to the terminal."""

def main():
    print("Hello, World.")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Enjoy and happy coding!

References:

1. Linux Bash Shell Scripting Tutorial - Shebang
2. PEP 257 -- Docstring Conventions
3. GeeksforGeeks - What does the if name == “main”: do?

Hope you enjoy it.

Thank you.