====== Python Stuff ======

===== Main =====


Don't program your code on your global area, make a main function and to stuff there. To execute this main function when you run your python program use:

  __name__="__main__":
    main()

at the end of your program.


===== Command line options =====

To parse command line options use:


  import sys, os
  import optparse
  
  #parsing args
  parser=optparse.OptionParser("usage: %prog [options]")
  parser.add_option("-r", "--robot", dest="robot", default="lwr", type="string", help="robot name")
  (options, args)=parser.parse_args(sys.argv[1:])

options.<variable> will contain the data you need from the command line.

===== Signals =====

To catch signals:

  import signal
  def signal_handler(sig, frame):
    print "Terminating ", __file__
    stop=True
  
  stop=False
  signal.signal(signal.SIGINT, signal_handler)
  signal.signal(signal.SIGTERM, signal_handler)

and later you can use variable "stop" to close the program correctly. You could also try to do this at the signal_handler directly if you think is more appropriate.