python: sys.argv[0] meaning in official documentation

python argv sys
kynikos picture kynikos · Mar 7, 2011 · Viewed 32.6k times · Source

Quoting from docs.python.org:

"sys.argv The list of command line arguments passed to a Python script. argv[0] is the script name (it is operating system dependent whether this is a full pathname or not). If the command was executed using the -c command line option to the interpreter, argv[0] is set to the string '-c'. If no script name was passed to the Python interpreter, argv[0] is the empty string."

Am I missing something, or sys.argv[0] always returns the script name, and to get '-c' I'd have to use sys.argv[1]?

I'm testing with Python 3.2 on GNU/Linux.

Answer

Daniel DiPaolo picture Daniel DiPaolo · Mar 7, 2011

No, if you invoke Python with -c to run commands from the command line, your sys.argv[0] will be -c:

C:\Python27>python.exe -c "import sys; print sys.argv[0]"
-c

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