autostart python script doesn’t work
https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/109558/autostart-python-script-doesnt-work
I am trying to get my pi to open a terminal and run a python script when it boots up. I have followed the instructions of some guides and have so far been unsuccessful.
My steps
I have made a pythonfile called testfile.py located in /home/pi/Documents/testfile.py The contents are as follows
print('hello')
input('press any key to exit')I have added a file called testfile.desktop to /home/pi/.config/autostart/testfile.desktop. The contents are as follows
[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=testfile
Hidden=false
NoDisplay=false
Terminal=true
X-GNOME-Autostart-enabled=true
Exec=/usr/bin/python3/home/pi/Documents/testfile.pyWhen i double click this file, the terminal opens and the python script runs as expected, but when i reboot the raspberry the script doesn’t run.
I duplicated what you did using an up-to-date Raspbian Buster in a Pi 4 B. (I wish all questions were as clear and complete as yours!)
Double-clicking the file on my machine brought up the thonny IDE. (Note: The ‘any’ key doesn’t work because input() needs an enter to complete.) On reboot, I observed the same result you did. However, installing xterm and changing the Exec line to
Exec=xterm -hold -e '/usr/bin/python3 /home/pi/Documents/testfile.py'
causes an xterm window to open and the Python program to run. I was following
So, there is some interaction I don’t understand between autostart, Python, and terminal. Perhaps you could try a Python program that leaves some evidence in the file system, such as writing a tiny output file.
Edit: See this answer which appears to be more useful than mine.
Create a file:
nano /etc/systemd/system/startupbrowser.service Put all lines below there:
[Unit]
Description=testfile service
[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python /home/pi/Documents/testfile.py
StandardOutput=syslog
StandardError=syslog
Restart=on-failure
User=root
Group=root
SyslogIdentifier=testfile
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.targetSave the file and reload the daemon:
sudo systemctl daemon-reloadTest that is your code is running:
sudo service testfile startCheck the log by:
journalctl -f -u testfile.serviceIt will give you the real-time log of your python code to troubleshoot what’s going on.
If everything was good as you intended, run this command to enable is as a startup service:
sudo systemctl enable testfile.service
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2This will run the python script as a sevice, which is interesting, but will it show the terminal and the outputs of the script? – Achmed 11 hours ago
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xterm, please let everyone know. – Bob Brown 11 hours ago