Correct way to call Pythonista script from within a Shortcuts workflow?

felciano

Thanks @7upser -- very helpful. I've been able to reproduce your example with the Pythonista Url scheme and the script is now found and launched correctly. However it jumps into/drops me into Pythonista proper. Is there a way to avoid that (i.e. just run the whole script in the background)?

cvp

@felciano said:

just run the whole script in the background

I don't think that Pythonista can run in the background.
Apple only authorizes that for music or Bluetooth apps.

7upser

You can Start a Shortcut with Pythonista:

import webbrowser
vUrl = 'shortcuts://run-shortcut?name=testStartWithUrlScheme&input=10'
webbrowser.get('safari').open(vUrl)

Maybe you can split your Shortcut into 2 different Shortcuts.
This should work, if you use Url Scheme on both sides.
(it's not really in the Bachground, as cvp mentioned)

mikeno

Hi everybody, I could call a Pythonista script from shortcuts using url and safari but it works only if the iPad is awake, is there a way to let it work when the iPad is asleep?
I also tried running a Pythonista script using scheduler but it works only if I stay in the Pythonista app.
What I want to achieve is writing some info into a file every hour

cvp

@mikeno I don't know what you want to do while your IPad is asleep but Shortcuts offers automations. Perhaps that could help.

mikeno

Yes but only everyday, I want to read the value of the barometer sensor every hour, I can get this value with Pythonista. I didn’t find a way to get this information in shortcuts nor in JS (scriptable).
I found also a way to do some tasks every hour in shortcuts but I don’t find a way to get the barometer sensor value.

cvp

@mikeno said

I found also a way to do some tasks every hour in shortcuts

But you could start a Pythonista script every hour?

mikeno

Yes, it works but only if the iPad is awake

cvp

@mikeno did you try to run an automation at specified time, which runs a Pythonista short script logging the pressure in a file and put your IPad asleep some time before the specified time?

mikeno

@cvp I’m not sure to understand what you mean, but calling a pythonista script from a shortcuts or an automation requires the iPad to be awake

cvp

@mikeno ok, I thought that calling the script from the shortcut did launch Pythonista even if iPad not awake. If you have Pyto, you could test because it runs really in background like a music player

mikeno

I don’t know PyTo but I will try, thx in any case

cvp

@mikeno not Py To but Pyto, I think there is a free test version

mikeno

I just downloaded it but my trial period already expired because I probably already tried it some times ago and since I don’t know if it works, I don’t want to buy it. If you’ve it, could you try if it runs when iPad is asleep?

cvp

@mikeno I'll do it and let it know

cvp

@mikeno I have tried a script which prints the time each second and closed my iPad cover during 200 seconds and when I have reopened it, the script was still running

mikeno

Thx, the question is now if Pyto can read the barometer sensor value, below a short code which runs fine under Pythonista:

from objc_util import ObjCInstance, ObjCClass, ObjCBlock, c_void_p

pressure = None

def get_pressure():
  
  def handler(_cmd, _data, _error):
    global pressure
    pressure = ObjCInstance(_data).pressure()

  handler_block = ObjCBlock(handler, restype=None, argtypes=[c_void_p, c_void_p, c_void_p])

  CMAltimeter = ObjCClass('CMAltimeter')
  NSOperationQueue = ObjCClass('NSOperationQueue')
  if not CMAltimeter.isRelativeAltitudeAvailable():
    print('This device has no barometer.')
    return
  altimeter = CMAltimeter.new()
  main_q = NSOperationQueue.mainQueue()
  altimeter.startRelativeAltitudeUpdatesToQueue_withHandler_(main_q, handler_block)
  try:
    while pressure is None:
      pass
  finally:
    altimeter.stopRelativeAltitudeUpdates()
    #print('Updates stopped.')
    return pressure.floatValue()*10

pressure = get_pressure()
print(pressure)

cvp

@mikeno I know this code but I'm new in Pyto and surely not (yet?) a specialist in ObjectiveC of Pyto.
I don't not yet know how to define an ObjcBlock in Pyto but I'll try.
But, obviously, I'll need some time

cvp

@mikeno Sorry, no idea how to define an ObjcBlock in rubicon (ObjectiveC in Pyto).
Hoping that @JonB will read this and be able to help, as usual.

# coding: utf-8
from rubicon.objc import *
from  ctypes import *

def handler(_cmd, _data, _error):
    print(ObjCInstance(_data))

handler_block = ObjCBlock(handler, None, [c_void_p, c_void_p, c_void_p])

def main():
    CMAltimeter = ObjCClass('CMAltimeter')
    NSOperationQueue = ObjCClass('NSOperationQueue')
    if not CMAltimeter.isRelativeAltitudeAvailable():
        print('This device has no barometer.')
        return
    altimeter = CMAltimeter.new()
    main_q = NSOperationQueue.mainQueue
    altimeter.startRelativeAltitudeUpdatesToQueue_withHandler_(main_q, handler_block)
    print('Started altitude updates.')
    try:
        while True:
            pass
    finally:
        altimeter.stopRelativeAltitudeUpdates()
        print('Updates stopped.')

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Gives

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "iCloud/barometer.py", line 8, in <module>
    handler_block = ObjCBlock(handler, None, [c_void_p, c_void_p, c_void_p])
  File "Pyto.app/Lib/rubicon/objc/api.py", line 1834, in __init__
    self.struct = cast(self.pointer, POINTER(ObjCBlockStruct))
  File "Pyto.app/site-packages/python3.10/ctypes/__init__.py", line 510, in cast
    return _cast(obj, obj, typ)
ctypes.ArgumentError: argument 1: <class 'TypeError'>: wrong type

mikeno

Thx for trying, I’ll wait!