How to determine if Python script was run via command line?

Question

Background

I would like my Python script to pause before exiting using something similar to:

raw_input(\"Press enter to close.\")

but

Answer 1

Update for later versions (e.g. Python 3.6 on Ubuntu 16.04): The statement to get the name has changed to psutil.Process(os.getpid()).parent().name()

---

I believe this CAN be done. At least, here is how I got it working in Python 2.7 under Ubuntu 14.04:

#!/usr/bin/env python
import os, psutil

# do stuff here

if psutil.Process(os.getpid()).parent.name == 'gnome-terminal':
    raw_input("Press enter to close...")

Note that -- in Ubuntu 14 with the Gnome desktop (aka Nautilus) -- you might need to do this:

• from a Nautilus window (the file browser), select Edit(menu)->Preferences(item) then Behavior(tab)->Executable Text Files(section)->Ask Each Time(radio).
• chmod your script to be executable, or -- from a Nautilus window (the file browser) -- right click on the file->Properties(item) then Permissions(tab)->Execute:Allow executing file as program(checkbox)
• double-click your file. If you select "Run in Terminal", you should see the "Type enter to close..." prompt.
• now try from a bash prompt; you should NOT see the prompt.

To see how this works, you can fiddle with this (based on the answer by from @EduardoIvanec):

#!/usr/bin/env python
import os
import sys
import psutil

def parent_list(proc=None, indent=0):
    if not proc:
        proc = psutil.Process(os.getpid())
    pid = proc.pid
    name = proc.name
    pad = " " * indent
    s = "{0}{1:5d} {2:s}".format(pad, pid, name)
    parent = proc.parent
    if parent:
        s += "\n" + parent_list(parent, indent+1)
    return s

def invoked_from_bash_cmdline():
    return psutil.Process(os.getpid()).parent.name == "bash"

def invoked_as_run_in_terminal():
    return psutil.Process(os.getpid()).parent.name == "gnome-terminal"

def invoked_as_run():
    return psutil.Process(os.getpid()).parent.name == "init"


if sys.stdin.isatty():
    print "running interactively"
    print parent_list()
    if invoked_as_run_in_terminal():
        raw_input("Type enter to close...")

else:
    with open('output','w') as f:
        f.write("running in the background!\n")
        f.write("parent list:\n")
        f.write(parent_list())