subprocess "handle is invalid" error

**Erik Johnson** · Apr 18 '07, 04:25 PM

Re: subprocess "handle is invalid" error

"Grant Edwards" <grante@visi.co mwrote in message
news:132cdrpqsm nvpa7@corp.supe rnews.com...

<snip stuff about gnu-plot and py2exe problems>

How does one troubleshoot errors that happen three layers deep
in the subprocess module?

I think the problem is more likely in how your py2exe is getting
bundled, rather than any real problem with the subprocess module. I have
been on the py2exe email list but not really paying much attention... If I
recall correctly, there are some special considerations when using gnuplot
with py2exe? I would suggest digging through the py2exe email archives to
see if you can locate emails on that subject (one copy of which I believe
can be found at:
http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/f...=py2exe-users), and
if that doesn't work, to direct your question to the py2exe users list at:
py2exe-users@lists.sou rceforge.net

(I believe the current home page of the py2exe project is at:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/py2exe/)

Hope that helps,
-ej

**Grant Edwards** · Apr 18 '07, 05:35 PM

Re: subprocess "handle is invalid" error

On 2007-04-18, Erik Johnson <nobody@invalid .comwrote:

>
"Grant Edwards" <grante@visi.co mwrote in message
news:132cdrpqsm nvpa7@corp.supe rnews.com...
>
><snip stuff about gnu-plot and py2exe problems>

>How does one troubleshoot errors that happen three layers deep
>in the subprocess module?

>
I think the problem is more likely in how your py2exe is
getting bundled, rather than any real problem with the
subprocess module.

I've switched back to os.popen() since I seem to get the same
problems with either. The odd thing is that it only seems to
fail when the current directory is mounted via the network
_and_ when it's being started by clicking on a file whose
filetype is associated with the application.

Running the program from the command line (cmd.exe or bash)
always works for any current directory. Running the program by
cliking on a shortcut icon on the desktop always works for any
'start in' directory.

The one case that doesn't work is when its run by clicking on
an associated file on a network drive.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! Now I'm concentrating
at on a specific tank battle
visi.com toward the end of World
War II!

**Thomas Heller** · Apr 18 '07, 06:55 PM

Re: subprocess "handle is invalid" error

Grant Edwards schrieb:

I'm trying to use the py-gnuplot module on windows, and have
been unable to get it to work reliably under Win2K and WinXP.
>
By default, it uses popen(gnuplotcm d,'w'), but in some
situations that consistently gets an "invalid operand" IOError
when write() is called on the pipe.
>
So I switched to subprocess. It works fine when executed
"normally" (e.g. "python progname.py"), but when bundled by
py2exe, it always does this:
>
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "surfedit.p y", line 28, in ?
File "Gnuplot\_Gnupl ot.pyc", line 178, in __init__
File "Gnuplot\gp_win 32.pyc", line 117, in __init__
File "subprocess.pyc ", line 533, in __init__
File "subprocess.pyc ", line 607, in _get_handles
File "subprocess.pyc ", line 634, in _make_inheritab le
WindowsError: [Errno 6] The handle is invalid
>
How does one troubleshoot errors that happen three layers deep
in the subprocess module?
>

I think this is a subprocess bug. It is often attributed to py2exe because
usually developers do never run the script in pythonW.exe instead of python.exe,
and later build a *windows* program with py2exe (the *windows* program has no
console, and that triggers the bug).

Consider ths little script:

"""
import os, sys, subprocess

sys.stderr = open("errors.tx t", "w")

if os.path.exists( "output.txt "):
os.remove("outp ut.txt")

proc = subprocess.Pope n("dir", shell=True,
stdout=subproce ss.PIPE,
## stderr=subproce ss.PIPE,
## stdin=subproces s.PIPE,
)
##proc.stderr.c lose()
##proc.stdin.cl ose()
data = proc.stdout.rea d()

open("output.tx t", "w").write(data )
"""

It calls 'dir' in the current directory, and writes the output
to the file 'output.txt'. Any errors are written to 'errors.txt'.

When you run this script with python.exe, everything works.
If the script is run with pythonW.exe, nothing works and 'errors.txt'
contains this:

c:\svn\theller> type errors.txt
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "test_subproc.p y", line 9, in <module>
stdout=subproce ss.PIPE,
File "c:\python25\li b\subprocess.py ", line 586, in __init__
errread, errwrite) = self._get_handl es(stdin, stdout, stderr)
File "c:\python25\li b\subprocess.py ", line 699, in _get_handles
p2cread = self._make_inhe ritable(p2cread )
File "c:\python25\li b\subprocess.py ", line 744, in _make_inheritab le
DUPLICATE_SAME_ ACCESS)
WindowsError: [Error 6] Das Handle ist ungültig
c:\svn\theller>

The error message, translated to english, is 'the handle is invalid'.

The script can be made to work correctly even with pythonW.exe (and also
as py2exe'd windows program, I just checked it out) when the 4 commented out
lines are uncommented. subprocess cannot inherit the standard handles when
the process has no console, you have to create pipes for all 3 channels, and
close those that are not needed.

I thought that this bug was fixed in Python2.5.1 (the release candidate),
but it seems it wasn't. The bug is at
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index...70&atid=105470

If all this is correct, I hope that someone adds a section to the py2exe wiki;
and reopens the above bug report.

Thomas

**Grant Edwards** · Apr 18 '07, 07:35 PM

Re: subprocess "handle is invalid" error

On 2007-04-18, Thomas Heller <theller@ctypes .orgwrote:

I think this is a subprocess bug. It is often attributed to
py2exe because usually developers do never run the script in
pythonW.exe instead of python.exe, and later build a *windows*
program with py2exe (the *windows* program has no console, and
that triggers the bug).

[...]

Ah, excellent analysis. It does indeed to appear to be a
subprocess bug. Switching back to os.popen() makes things
"work" again. There's a different problem when the program is
started by double-clicking an associated file in a networked
directory (works fine in a local directory). That was the
initial problem I was trying to troubleshoot by switching
trying subprocess.Pope n().

The script can be made to work correctly even with pythonW.exe
(and also as py2exe'd windows program, I just checked it out)
when the 4 commented out lines are uncommented. subprocess
cannot inherit the standard handles when the process has no
console, you have to create pipes for all 3 channels, and
close those that are not needed.

Perhaps I'll try switching back to subprocess.Pope n() and
creating all three pipes.

I thought that this bug was fixed in Python2.5.1 (the release candidate),
but it seems it wasn't. The bug is at
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index...70&atid=105470
>

>If all this is correct, I hope that someone adds a section to the py2exe wiki;

It had been documented at the py2exe wiki -- though it mentions a
different exception. I added the bug-tracker link and also
that it throws the "invalid handle" exception.

Py2ExeSubprocessInteractions - py2exe.org

http://www.py2exe.org/index.cgi/Py2ExeSubprocessInteractions

and reopens the above bug report.

Since I'm still using 2.4.3, I don't think it would be
appropriate for me to do so.

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! It don't mean a
at THING if you ain't got
visi.com that SWING!!

**Daniel Serodio** · Jan 10 '08, 06:35 PM

Re: subprocess "handle is invalid" error

Thomas Heller-2 wrote:

>
Grant Edwards schrieb:
>
[snip]
>

>>
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> File "surfedit.p y", line 28, in ?
> File "Gnuplot\_Gnupl ot.pyc", line 178, in __init__
> File "Gnuplot\gp_win 32.pyc", line 117, in __init__
> File "subprocess.pyc ", line 533, in __init__
> File "subprocess.pyc ", line 607, in _get_handles
> File "subprocess.pyc ", line 634, in _make_inheritab le
> WindowsError: [Errno 6] The handle is invalid
>>
>How does one troubleshoot errors that happen three layers deep
>in the subprocess module?
>>

>
I think this is a subprocess bug. It is often attributed to py2exe
because
usually developers do never run the script in pythonW.exe instead of
python.exe,
and later build a *windows* program with py2exe (the *windows* program has
no
console, and that triggers the bug).
>
[snip]
>
I thought that this bug was fixed in Python2.5.1 (the release candidate),
but it seems it wasn't. The bug is at
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index...70&atid=105470
>
If all this is correct, I hope that someone adds a section to the py2exe
wiki;
and reopens the above bug report.
>
Thomas
>

I've been bitten by this same bug in 2.5.1, and the bug you linked to (which
is now @ http://bugs.python.org/issue1124861) is still marked as fixed.

I've tried to reopen it but it seems only the reporter (or some "admin"
user) is able to do it.

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subprocess "handle is invalid" error

subprocess "handle is invalid" error

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