How to write the raspberry pi's autostart directory using Python?

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I am using Raspberry Pi4 Model B with buster os in it. I am trying to write a python script for running the webpage at bootup. On entering sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart in the terminal and adding @chromium-browser --start-fullscreen --start-maximized https://teams.microsoft.com/ at the last line I can see the webpage at boot. But the problem is I need to do this with a python program. Have tried many scripts and it's not working. Every time It's throwing the error saying "No such file or directory: sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart". I am attaching the script below. Please help me in solving this I am new to Raspberry Pi.

What I have tried:

Without adding sudo nano:
conf_file = /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Python

def update_url():
       conf_file= '/etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart'
       try:
          with open(conf_file, 'w')as file:
             file.write('@chromium-browser --start-fullscreen --start-maximized https://teams.microsoft.com/')

       except Exception as ex:
          print("Cant write dirctory:",ex)
          return 0
       finally:
           pass

Output:

Python

permission denied: /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Adding sudo nano:
conf_file = sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Python

def update_url():
       conf_file= 'sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart'
       try:
          with open(conf_file, 'w')as file:
             file.write('@chromium-browser --start-fullscreen --start-maximized https://teams.microsoft.com/')

       except Exception as ex:
          print("Cant write dirctory:",ex)
          return 0
       finally:
           pass

Output:

Python

No such file or directory: sudo nano /etc/xdg/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

Posted 20-Mar-22 5:56am

Abisheek Kumar

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Comments

Richard MacCutchan 20-Mar-22 12:57pm

That filename is illegal, and you cannot include the "sudo nano" command in a start file. You need to edit your autostart file while in a privileged session. So enter "sudo nano" at the terminal and then try running the Python script. Although you could probably do this faster with a simple editor.

Abisheek Kumar 20-Mar-22 13:00pm

Thank you for the reply. Sure I will try it.

k5054 20-Mar-22 13:48pm

See my reply to Richard, RE sudo nano. Another option would be to change the file owner to root andset the suid execute bit on the python script- if python scripts obey the suid permission settings. It's not clear why you'd want to do this from a script, unless you're writing a PI setup/configure script to have an automated way of producing PI's that perform some task, e.g. an info Kiosk, that you need to have several instances of.

k5054 20-Mar-22 13:43pm

I think you meant just enter "sudo myscript.py" at the terminal. sudo nano will start the nano editor in sudo mode, at which point you'd need to do CTL-T to get a "command to execute" prompt, all of which seems a bit overly complicated.

Richard MacCutchan 20-Mar-22 13:44pm

Thanks, I wrote that without checking.

k5054 20-Mar-22 13:49pm

Heh. Old Farts Brain Fart. Happens all the time :)

Abisheek Kumar 21-Mar-22 0:40am

Actually, the reason I am trying to do this with a python script is. I have developed a web form using a flask that will receive the web URL input from the user and save it to a particular variable in python.[ For example: Value1 = form.get('url')] so this will store the user input to a variable named Value1 . I am trying to open the autostart directory using python itself and write the received user input into it. Like this (f'@chromium-browser --start-fullscreen http:\\{Value1}\').

k5054 21-Mar-22 11:10am

That sounds like a good way to allow a malicious user to grab root on your Pi, probably not something you want to do. In general anything that is user controlled and needs to have sudo root privileges to execute does not pass the "smell test", and would probably be banned by any competently run IT department. What you probably want to do is to re-think your startup procedure. Maybe do something with the pi users .bash_profile or .bashrc? Or modify the startup html document for chromium browser to use a value stored in a file (or database!) that a regular user does have access to without having to resort to sudo tomfoolery.

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