Doc strings for the spawn* functions, by Michael Hudson.
diff --git a/Lib/os.py b/Lib/os.py
index eed95c5..9bc5bd4 100644
--- a/Lib/os.py
+++ b/Lib/os.py
@@ -333,17 +333,44 @@
raise error, "Not stopped, signaled or exited???"
def spawnv(mode, file, args):
+ """spawnv(mode, file, args) -> integer
+
+Execute file with arguments from args in a subprocess.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return - (the signal that killed it). """
return _spawnvef(mode, file, args, None, execv)
def spawnve(mode, file, args, env):
+ """spawnve(mode, file, args, env) -> integer
+
+Execute file with arguments from args in a subprocess with the
+specified environment.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return -SIG, where SIG is the signal that killed it. """
return _spawnvef(mode, file, args, env, execve)
# Note: spawnvp[e] is't currently supported on Windows
def spawnvp(mode, file, args):
+ """spawnvp(mode, file, args) -> integer
+
+Execute file (which is looked for along $PATH) with arguments from
+args in a subprocess.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return -SIG, where SIG is the signal that killed it. """
return _spawnvef(mode, file, args, None, execvp)
def spawnvpe(mode, file, args, env):
+ """spawnvpe(mode, file, args, env) -> integer
+
+Execute file (which is looked for along $PATH) with arguments from
+args in a subprocess with the supplied environment.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return -SIG, where SIG is the signal that killed it. """
return _spawnvef(mode, file, args, env, execvpe)
if _exists("spawnv"):
@@ -351,9 +378,22 @@
# but can be easily implemented in Python
def spawnl(mode, file, *args):
+ """spawnl(mode, file, *args) -> integer
+
+Execute file with arguments from args in a subprocess.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return -SIG, where SIG is the signal that killed it. """
return spawnv(mode, file, args)
def spawnle(mode, file, *args):
+ """spawnle(mode, file, *args, env) -> integer
+
+Execute file with arguments from args in a subprocess with the
+supplied environment.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return -SIG, where SIG is the signal that killed it. """
env = args[-1]
return spawnve(mode, file, args[:-1], env)
@@ -361,8 +401,24 @@
# At the moment, Windows doesn't implement spawnvp[e],
# so it won't have spawnlp[e] either.
def spawnlp(mode, file, *args):
+ """spawnlp(mode, file, *args, env) -> integer
+
+Execute file (which is looked for along $PATH) with arguments from
+args in a subprocess with the supplied environment.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return -SIG, where SIG is the signal that killed it. """
return spawnvp(mode, file, args)
def spawnlpe(mode, file, *args):
+ """spawnlpe(mode, file, *args, env) -> integer
+
+Execute file (which is looked for along $PATH) with arguments from
+args in a subprocess with the supplied environment.
+If mode == P_NOWAIT return the pid of the process.
+If mode == P_WAIT return the process's exit code if it exits normally;
+otherwise return -SIG, where SIG is the signal that killed it. """
env = args[-1]
return spawnvpe(mode, file, args[:-1], env)
+
+