Find console view and retrieve text in Pythonista3.4

[shinyformica]

I had code from python2/pythonista3.3 which was able to find the console view in the view hierarchy, and then pull the text out of it:

def findConsoleView():
    app = objc_util.UIApplication.sharedApplication()
    if not app: return ""
    mainwindow = app.keyWindow()
    if not mainwindow: return ""
    mainview = mainwindow.rootViewController().view()
    if not mainview: return ""
    visit = list(mainview.subviews())
    while visit:
        v = visit.pop()
        if bytes(v._get_objc_classname()) == b"OMTextView":
            if v.superview() and \
                    bytes(v.superview()._get_objc_classname()) != \
                                                        b"OMTextEditorView":
                return str(v.text())
        visit += list(v.subviews())
    return ""

Sadly, this no longer works, as I think the console view no longer fits the criteria I was using to find it.

Anyone have a working version of this idea?
I'm going to plug away at searching the view hierarchy and see if I can find where the console is hiding now.

( @omz for possible future updates: it would be nice if there was a console.text() function in the console module)

[shinyformica]

Hrm...upon further investigation, I take it back: the above code appears to work in Pythonista3.4.

I still don't love it. It feels very fragile just "guessing" which OMTextView happens to be right like this. I really wish there was a better way...but I don't see a good way to more directly determine which view is the console view.

Anyway, the right solution is for there to be a console.text() function. So I will repeat my plea to @omz to please consider adding that to the features in the console module.

[cvp]

@shinyformica said

...... fragile .....

You could add this security check that in the subviews of the superview of the OMTextView, you find a label with > which is just before the console input line

from objc_util import *
def findConsoleView():
    app = UIApplication.sharedApplication()
    if not app: return ""
    mainwindow = app.keyWindow()
    if not mainwindow: return ""
    mainview = mainwindow.rootViewController().view()
    if not mainview: return ""
    visit = list(mainview.subviews())
    while visit:
        v = visit.pop()
        if bytes(v._get_objc_classname()) == b"OMTextView":
            if v.superview() and \
                    bytes(v.superview()._get_objc_classname()) != \
                                                        b"OMTextEditorView":
                # check this the right view
                su = v.superview()	
                ok = False
                for ssu in su.subviews():
                    for ssu in ssu.subviews():
                        if 'UILabel' in str(ssu._get_objc_classname()):
                            if str(ssu.text()) == '>':
                                print('>'*50)
                                ok = True
                                break
                    if ok:
                        break
                if ok:
                    return str(v.text())
        visit += list(v.subviews())
    return ""
print('test')
print(findConsoleView())

Anyway, as you said, your code works even in Pythonista 3.4 and we don't receive a lot of updates per year (sorry @omz 😉) thus not a big risk, even if you have to test it each time.

Edit: and you could always create a findConsoleView.py and use it so

import console
from findConsoleView import *
console.text = findConsoleView

print('hello')
t = console.text()
print(t)

[shinyformica]

@cvp searching for the prompt label is a good extra check, I like it...well, I like it a little bit more.

Monkey-patching the console module isn't really necessary...being able to call console.text isn't the part that bothered me, it's just my hope for what @omz might eventually add to the console api.

Anyway, thanks @cvp, as always!