calling python within bash script

Question

I am attempting to call python within a bash script, but the script cannot find it. I have not done bash script programming for over 30 years, so I am not currently adept at bash script debugging. I am using pyenv to select the version of python to use within a particular directory. Here is the setup I am using:

dnessett@homelserv:~/SaltSource/scripts$ ls python_on_root.sh dnessett@homelserv:~/SaltSource/scripts$ cat python_on_root.sh #!/bin/bash sudo python "$@" dnessett@homelserv:~/SaltSource/scripts$ pyenv local 3.10.15 dnessett@homelserv:~/SaltSource/scripts$ python --version Python 3.10.15 dnessett@homelserv:~/SaltSource/scripts$ ./python_on_root.sh sudo: python: command not found 

Since I am using sudo within the script to call python, here is the entry in /etc/sudoers that I had hoped would allow sudo to execute the local python interpreter:

#add python to sudo list dnessett homelserv=(root)NOPASSWD:/home/dnessett/.pyenv/versions/3.10.15/bin/python 

dnessett is the username and homelserv is the machine name. The pathname following NOPASSWD is where the python version 3.10.15 is located.

The whole point of this is to use the python_on_root.sh script as the interpreter for a Eclipse/PyDev project (see: Stack Overflow thread).

As is apparent from the output given above, sudo cannot find python, even though I have set it as the local python interpreter within ~/SaltSource/scripts. I imagine there is some interaction between the script and sudo that is preventing the latter from finding the intended python interpreter.

Can someone see the problem and advise me how to correct it?

Answer 1

The PATH sudo inherits will be different from your own and likely doesn't include wherever python is installed. You could call it by the full path in your script, ie:

#!/bin/bash sudo /home/dnessett/.pyenv/versions/3.10.15/bin/python "$@" 

However there may be some other unwanted issues with running python as root such as your HOME and PYTHONPATH env variables being different so you may want to run sudo -E instead, however you should still point to the full path of python either way.

Finally you probably shouldn't run python as root at all. Chances are whatever you're trying to do can be solved in a different, more correct way such as changing file/directory permissions to allow your user to accomplish the tasks required.

Answer 2

Following on from the previous answer, the changes I needed to make were:

• add python to sudo list

  dnessett homelserv=(root)NOPASSWD:SETENV:/home/dnessett/.pyenv/versions/3.10.15/bin/python 

  The extra SETENV: after NOPASWD: overrides the prohibition of preserving the environment. I found this here: Stack Exchange Superuser post

• Then, as specified by jesse_b in the previous answer, the script is modified to be:

  sudo -E /home/dnessett/.pyenv/versions/3.10.15/bin/python "$@"