[PyQt] Avoiding freeze of the application

[Geert Vancompernolle]

Hi,

I want to achieve the following:

* My (Windows) application is trying to make a connection with a Linux 
server, using another application (plink, part of the Putty distro)
* Since an external application is to be called, I'm using the method 
subprocess in this way:
            retcode = subprocess.call( "plink -batch %s@%s echo" % 
(self.beqLineEdit.text(), self.linuxmachineComboBox.currentText())
                                     , shell=True
                                     , stderr=errptr
                                     )
* However, that call can take up to 10 seconds (worst case).  In the 
mean time, my main application is "frozen", I can't do anything else.

Now, what I would like to do, is to decouple the above call from the 
main thread, such that the main application becomes "free" again.  I 
also would like to start a one shot timer (using QTimer.singleShot()) to 
create a time-out.  This is to prevent a "hang" of the application, in 
case something goes wrong during the subprocess call.

So, my intention is to check when the one shot timer elapses, if the 
subprocess call is still busy.  If not, then all is fine and I simply 
ignore the time out.  If the subprocess is still busy, I would like to 
be able to (if needed, forcefully) stop the subprocess call.

I currently started the one shot timer just before I launched the 
subprocess call, but I see that the one shot timer is also blocked by 
the subprocess call.  So, that doesn't do what I in fact want to do.

My questions:

1. How can I "decouple" the subprocess call?
2. How can I forcefully stop a subprocess call (that should be the case 
if my one shot timer elapses after 10 seconds, and the subprocess call 
is not returned yet)?
3. What's the best approach to achieve the above requirements?  Using a 
kind of a state machine, where I first start the subprocess call 
(decoupled), then start the one shot timer, change the state and then 
check in that state if the subprocess call has indeed ended?  And if 
not, forcefully stop the subprocess call?

Any practical helpful tips much appreciated!


-- 
Best rgds,

Geert
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