Debugging an issue with launchd and python requests

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Debugging an issue with launchd and python requests

I am trying to get a python script to regularly fill out a google form on Mac OS X. (side note RIP cron :(., I do NOT like launchd)

I have been able to get almost everything done I need to.

The python script works when I run it separately.
launchd works by running my script as long as I do not include the posting to google forms bits.

When I take out "import requests" and "requests.post(myURL,mySubmission)" the launchd/script combo work fine.

Is there some reason python requests are not working with launchd? Any help would be appreciated.

MacBook Pro 13", OS X 10.11

Posted on Mar 25, 2020 8:14 PM

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Answer 1

mahongue Author

Level 4

3,537 points

Mar 27, 2020 2:48 PM in response to VikingOSX

VikingOSX wrote:

Couple of thoughts. See if there is an update for that third-party requests module, and then try your Python script again using requests as previous. I may have this backward, but I believe scripts that have no GUI interaction are placed in LaunchDaemons, and scripts with GUI interaction are placed in LaunchAgents folders.

I just downloaded the latest requests module. I put the launchd plist in the LaunchAgents folder of my ~/Library user folder.

am wondering if you may have to pass a user-agent string in a header dictionary along with your request to satisfy Google?

Okay. What do you mean by this?

Plan B may be to remove the third-party requests module and use the standard, import urllib.request that is already in Python3, or if you are using Python 2.7.16 or .17, use the import urllib2.Request approach. I know that both of these suggest using the third-party requests module.

I'll check this out.

f you are attempting to use the Python3 that was included with Xcode 11 or its associated command-line tools, I wonder out loud what Apple excluded, and that Python3 is quite outdated now too. Ideally, you would be using an installation of Python 3.8.2 from Python.org — with the added request module.

I am using the most updated python3 from python.org

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Answer 2

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,662 points

Mar 26, 2020 6:21 AM in response to mahongue

Couple of thoughts. See if there is an update for that third-party requests module, and then try your Python script again using requests as previous. I may have this backward, but I believe scripts that have no GUI interaction are placed in LaunchDaemons, and scripts with GUI interaction are placed in LaunchAgents folders.

I am wondering if you may have to pass a user-agent string in a header dictionary along with your request to satisfy Google?

Plan B may be to remove the third-party requests module and use the standard, import urllib.request that is already in Python3, or if you are using Python 2.7.16 or .17, use the import urllib2.Request approach. I know that both of these suggest using the third-party requests module.

If you are attempting to use the Python3 that was included with Xcode 11 or its associated command-line tools, I wonder out loud what Apple excluded, and that Python3 is quite outdated now too. Ideally, you would be using an installation of Python 3.8.2 from Python.org — with the added request module.

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Debugging an issue with launchd and python requests

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