Add the possibility to use Linux hosts through ssh

[o-murphy]

I propose to add the ability to use remote Linux hosts to edit and run the Python code.

This should allow:

• Explore and edit python files on a remote host (approximately as implemented in VSCode or Acode editor for Android), ssh/ftp

• ssh connection to the terminal, which will allow you to use all the power of Linux environments as well as the use of compiled Python extensions

• Convenient use of git, uv, and other developer utilities

[cvpe]

I don't understand why you ask that in Pythonista. There are some iOS apps like iTerminal which provide this SSH connection to servers, see https://apps.apple.com/be/app/iterminal-ssh-telnet-client/id581455211?l=fr-FR

[o-murphy]

I don't understand why you ask that in Pythonista. There are some iOS apps like iTerminal which provide this SSH connection to servers, see https://apps.apple.com/be/app/iterminal-ssh-telnet-client/id581455211?l=fr-FR

I mean iTerminal not gives cool and usefull editor for remote connected host

[cvpe]

I understand but do you really hope that Pythonista could offer this kind of functionality ?

[o-murphy]

@cvpe why not?
I'm often codding on the go, i use termius/ish/pythonista
The current problems I have when trying to do everything in pythonista:

• If I wanna write something for pythonista i should write it directly in pythonista, build wheel or copy directly or with requests
• If I'm writing something for other platforms with pythonista app, I can't use a lot of usefull tools: uv, ruff, mypy, cython, etc. Ssh connection will be helpful there.
• Code editing in ish app with vim/nano is awfull on iOS, so even if pythonista just will allow sharing files between it and ish with iOS files it will be usefull (ish already allows mounting iOS fs)
  • I propose possibility to share pythonista inner fs to iOS files app or
• iOS files app allows to connect FTPs but i still need directly copy files to pythonista and backward
• allow run ftp server from Pythonista app to allow coding for pythonista from the pc

I propose you to explore Acode editor for android, the most flexible editor for this platform. It allows connections and files sharing over ftp/ssh, but it uses js plugins for this.

[cvpe]

In Pythonista, you can access the files from iCloud/Pythonista 3 folder and you can access the same files in Files app, and on your PC/Mac, and eventually on a Linux via a particular app.
the folder on my iDevice/Pythonista 3 is of course empty.

[cvpe]

[o-murphy]

@cvpe Thanks, but it almost the same, it not friendly to be used

[RichardPotthoff]

I see only iCloud and sftp and other 3rd party file sharing solutions being considered here.

What about SMB? iOS supports SMB natively in the Files app:
Files > (...) > Connect to Server

Windows and AppleOS support SMB natively, and on Linux you can install a Samba service to share directories using SMB.

Here is the samba configuration file from my Raspberry Pi (sans comment lines):

(marimo) richard@marimo:~/notebooks $ grep -v '^[[:space:]]*[;#]\|^[[:space:]]*$' /etc/samba/smb.conf
[global]
   workgroup = WORKGROUP
   log level = 3
   log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
   max log size = 1000
   logging = file
   panic action = /usr/share/samba/panic-action %d
   server role = standalone server
   server min protocol = SMB2
   server max protocol = SMB3
   obey pam restrictions = yes
   unix password sync = yes
   passwd program = /usr/bin/passwd %u
   passwd chat = *Enter\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *Retype\snew\s*\spassword:* %n\n *password\supdated\ssuccessfully* .
   pam password change = yes
   map to guest = Never  
   local master = no
   preferred master = no
   os level = 0
   vfs objects = streams_xattr
   usershare allow guests = yes

[printers]
   comment = All Printers
   browseable = no
   path = /var/tmp
   printable = yes
   guest ok = no
   read only = yes
   create mask = 0700

[print$]
   comment = Printer Drivers
   path = /var/lib/samba/printers
   browseable = yes
   read only = yes
   guest ok = no

[shared]
path = /home/richard/shared
browseable = yes
writable = yes
read only = no
create mask = 0777
directory mask = 0777
valid users = richard

[notebooks]
path = /home/richard/notebooks
browseable = yes
writable = yes
read only = no
create mask = 0777
directory mask = 0777
valid users = richard

[marimo]
path = /home/richard/marimo
browseable = yes
writable = no
read only = no
create mask = 0777
directory mask = 0777

[cvpe]

You're right, I've written some years ago a SMB client some years ago, based on some other code, but no more used nor tested anymore. But it has worked.
See https://github.com/cvpe/Pythonista-scripts/blob/master/SMB_client.py.

**SMB_client.py**
 - SMB basic client
 - based   on   https://github.com/humberry/smb-example/blob/master/smb-test.py
 - needs smb+nmb from https://github.com/miketeo/pysmb/tree/master/python3
 - needs pyasn1  from https://github.com/etingof/pyasn1
 - upload/download optional buffering and callback
 - upload/download optional full local path 
 - instance creation, optinal parameter to print or store eventual error

Test code

from SMB_client import SMB_client

my_smb = SMB_client(username='xxxxx',password='yuyy',smb_name='zzzzzz')
my_smb.connect()

tree = my_smb.getRemoteTree()
for elem in tree:
	print(elem)
		
#my_smb.download(path, filename)
#my_smb.upload(path, filename)
#my_smb.delete_remote_file(path, filename)
#my_smb.createRemoteDir(path)
#my_smb.removeRemoteDir(path)
#my_smb.renameRemoteFileOrDir(path, new_path)

my_smb.close()

[RichardPotthoff]

I don't think it is a good idea to edit files on a shared drive. There is always a possibility that the files can get corrupted if several programs try to access the same file simultaneously.

I use git repositories to make local copies of the files and to keep everything synchronized (and version-controlled, and backed-up). Here is a link to a recent issue that somebody had to get WorkingCopy to work with Pythonista:
Best practice linking Pythonista with Working Copy #16

[cvpe]

I think there is no risk of corruption, it happens sometimes that iOS presents me a choice to do for selecting the "right" file when it has been updated on two different devices during a short period of time when the devices did not see the other.

[RichardPotthoff]

May be I should not have said the file can get "corrupted", but rather that you may lose work, because your edited file may get overwritten with an older version. It all depends on the implementation of the editors you use.

Pythonista overwrites the old file, even if has meanwhile been modified by another program. Sometimes Pythonista fails to save changes because it cannot access the file, presumably because another program blocks write access to the file.

Here is a screen shot of a typical error message I get in such cases:

May be this is a bug in Pythonista that should be fixed.

[cvpe]

You're right. Pythonista has not been written for this purpose, but more for local development.

[o-murphy]

I don't think it is a good idea to edit files on a shared drive. There is always a possibility that the files can get corrupted if several programs try to access the same file simultaneously.

I use git repositories to make local copies of the files and to keep everything synchronized (and version-controlled, and backed-up). Here is a link to a recent issue that somebody had to get WorkingCopy to work with Pythonista:

Best practice linking Pythonista with Working Copy #16

WorkingCopy is paid. I won’t say it’s cheap for my region, $35 for git client, lmao, why should I use it if I can use regular git via free ish app or over the ssh, ha?

Sorry me, but if not remote development there then should be full git support in pythonista, which is not possible for now. Am I wrong?

Someone wrote above about 13 years of development and appreciation, but you will agree, the pythonista project itself owes its long-term existence to stash, It provide a bunch of tools, including simplified implementations of pip/git. And it makes it for free.

Stash/pipTerminal is currently down. PipTerminal can be fixed easily, but stash is not. I fixed a few things just for myself, but I have no ability to run a full set of tools.

To be honest, I wasn’t looking for advice on what to do or what hacks to use. I voiced the need to add new functionality. I am upset that the apple community is so stuck in its own restrictions: “if something is not provided, it means that it is not needed or possible”.

[o-murphy]

@RichardPotthoff we are all uses git here, but no git support in pythonista for now. Until then, any workarounds look only like attempts to deceive themselves.