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In Python 2.5, how do I kill a subprocess?

Asked 2009-06-30T15:27:16.633
29

I am using the subprocess package in Python to run a subprocess, which I later need to kill. However, the documentation of the subprocess package states that the terminate() function is only available from 2.6

We are running Linux with 2.5 and for backwards compatibility reasons I cannot upgrade to 2.6, what is the alternative? I am guessing that these functions are convenience methods for something.

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2 Answers

41

To complete @Gareth's answer, on Windows you do:

import ctypes
PROCESS_TERMINATE = 1
handle = ctypes.windll.kernel32.OpenProcess(PROCESS_TERMINATE, False, theprocess.pid)
ctypes.windll.kernel32.TerminateProcess(handle, -1)
ctypes.windll.kernel32.CloseHandle(handle)

not quite as elegant as os.kill(theprocess.pid, 9), but it does work;-)

answered 2009-06-30T15:41:43.217
4

Thats a copy&pase complete solution:

def terminate_process(pid):
    # all this shit is because we are stuck with Python 2.5 and 
    # we cannot use Popen.terminate()
    if sys.platform == 'win32':
        import ctypes
        PROCESS_TERMINATE = 1
        handle = ctypes.windll.kernel32.OpenProcess(PROCESS_TERMINATE, False, pid)
        ctypes.windll.kernel32.TerminateProcess(handle, -1)
        ctypes.windll.kernel32.CloseHandle(handle)
    else:
        os.kill(pid, signal.SIGKILL)

Accepting bug reports as comments ;)

answered 2011-12-16T15:40:08.203

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