Python 2 raw_input() : EOFError when reading a line in WINDOWS 7 command prompt

Question

NOTE: Many of the same questions have been asked about python raw_input() in sublime text. This question is NOT about sublime. The python code is called in Windows command prompt which unlike the sublime terminal does support interactive inputs.

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I have a python program that takes user input with the built-in function raw_input(). See below.

def password_score():
    pwd = raw_input('Enter a password: ')
    gname = raw_input('Enter your first name: ')
...

I call the program in cmd by

echo password_score()|python -i a06q1.py

where a06q1.py is the file name. The path of the python directory has been added to system variable %PATH% temporarily. I am in the directory of the file. My operating system is Windows 7. I am using python 2.6. The same command has worked until now.

Then cmd returns

File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
File "a06q1.py", line 27, in password_score
    pwd = raw_input(p_prompt)
EOFError: EOF when reading a line

Is there a way to get around it within cmd?

EDIT: I just tried in on an iOS terminal too. With the same command as in cmd (with quotes), it returns the same error. Is there anything wrong about the command line I used? Thank you!

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EDIT: Sebastian's answer solves the problem. The command should adapt to windows as follows.

printf "a06q1.password_score()\n'arg1\n'arg2"|python -i -c "import a06q1"

The single quotes succeeding \n can be replaced by spaces. They separate multiple inputs.

Answer 1

EOF means that there is no more input. And it is true, the only line is consumed by -i option:

$ echo "f()" | python -i -c "def f(): print('x'); input('y\n')"
>>> x
y
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
  File "<string>", line 1, in f
EOFError: EOF when reading a line
>>> 

Provide more input:

$ printf "f()\n'z'" | python -i -c "def f(): print('x'); print(input('y\n')*3)"
>>> x
y
zzz
>>> 

As you said: it is "canonically bad" to specify a function to run in such manner. If you don't know in advance, what function you want to run then as an alternative, you could run it as:

$ python -c "from a06q1 import password_score as f; f()" < input_file.txt

Answer 2

What you're trying to do is not the way to call a specific function from the command line. You need an if __name__ == "__main__"-block in your code.

At the end of your file:

`if __name__ == "__main__"`:
     password_score()

And now run the program by:

python a06q1.py

If you run a python file from the command file, the __name__-variable will be "__main__". Notice that if you import a06q1 to some other python file, the name will equal the module name and thus the if __name__ block evaluates to False.

From python docs:

This module represents the (otherwise anonymous) scope in which the interpreter’s main program executes — commands read either from standard input, from a script file, or from an interactive prompt. It is this environment in which the idiomatic “conditional script” stanza is run

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As J.F Sebastian writes in the comments, you can also execute a specific python command by providing the -c switch. The following will import the a06q1 and run function_name:

python -c "from a06q1 import function_name; function_name()"