Overview
This article provides guidelines for creating a Python script, which must be followed to ensure the file functions properly.
File guidelines
These sections cover what to include when creating a Python script file.
Extensions
All Python CGI scripts on DreamHost must end with the following extensions:
| Extension | Use case |
|---|---|
| .fcgi | This extension uses FastCGI |
| .py | This extension uses CGI |
| .cgi | This extension uses CGI |
The first line of the Python file
The very first line of the file can be the server location of Python3:
#!/usr/bin/python3
However, if you've installed a custom version of Python, the first line in your file should point to that location instead. For example, after installing a custom version of Python, run which python. The output looks like this:
[server]$ which python /home/username/opt/python-3.8.5/bin/python3
The first line of your file should then look like this:
#!/home/username/opt/python-3.8.5/bin/python3
File permissions
The file's permissions must be set to 755. You can change this by running the following command via SSH:
[server]$ chmod 755
Line endings
Make sure to use UNIX-style newlines, not Windows.
File content guidelines
These sections cover basic information on how to view the output of your Python scripts.
Viewing the output
If you want to view the printed output from your Python code, you must add this as the first line of output:
print("Content-type: text/html\n\n")
Make sure you use print() when creating a print statement. See this page for more information about using Python3 parentheses.
Hello World! example
The following code displays Hello World! in a web browser. Make sure to change the username to your Shell user:
#!/home/username/opt/python-3.8.5/bin/python3
print("Content-type: text/html\n\n")
print("Hello World!")