Python command line print on the same lines

Question

There are many questions relating to printing on the same line but there aren't any for printing multiple lines on the same line within the terminal.

For example:

ogeno@OH-ogeno-MBP:~|⇒ python my_script.py
Process 1: 5%
Process 2: 14%
Process 3: 55%

I want the progress of these processes to update on the same line rather than printing over and over again. I have looked at other questions that say to use the return carriage character \r and sys.stdout.flush() but it doesn't seem to change the caret to go up a line, just to the end of the current line.

EDIT: My question is different because it's to do with printing MULTIPLE lines on the same lines in the terminal. It's easy if it's just one line.

• glls: please share a code snippet to see how you are handling this from my_script.py
• user2390182: Possible duplicate of Python - Rewrite multiple lines in the Console
• pvg: The sane solution to this is to have your controlling process collect the status info and print it.
• Ogen: @glls I'm not handling this. It's just an example of what I want
• Ogen: @schwobaseggl I'd prefer not to use that curses module. I want to just do it in plain ole python

Answer 1

This can easily be done by using backspace. Following is the sample code that will print the percentage on the same line.

import time
print "Work in progress(0%%)", # Python 2 print without newline
for work_done in range(10):
 print "\b\b\b\b\b%2d%%)" % work_done, # Backspace then overwrite
 time.sleep(1)

• Ogen: That's not doing what I want

Answer 2

One approach is to use the ANSI escape-code "033円[F" for going to the beginning of the previous line. The following worked well in all my terminals, just writing to the next two lines from the current terminal position:

import time
import sys
progress_1 = 'Process 1: {}%'
progress_2 = 'Process 2: {}%'
print
print
for i in range(100):
 sys.stdout.write('033円[F')
 sys.stdout.write('033円[F')
 print(progress_1.format(i))
 print(progress_2.format(i))
 time.sleep(0.02)

• Ogen: That's giving me a weird result when I run it. Some of the print statements are being written above my main terminal line.
• user2390182: Then the screen clearing isn't working. I assume you are not working on Linux.
• Ogen: I'm on Mac. Regardless, I don't want the screen cleared, is there any way to get around this
• user2390182: @Ogen I added some more system-independent terminal clearing code.
• user2390182: @Ogen I added some code that should work without clearing the terminal.

Answer 3

for python 2.7 you can use,

print 2%, 3% # Using comma will print it in same line

for python 3.x

print('2%', end=" ")

Or you can use sys.stdout.write for doing it with sys.stdout.flush() Please check my below code, I have created a demo progress bar.

"""ProgressBar Module."""
import sys
import time
class ProgressBar(object):
 """Main class for the ProgressBa."""
 DEFAULT_BAR_LENGTH = float(30)
 def __init__(self, start=0, step=1):
 """Init for the class."""
 self.end = ProgressBar.DEFAULT_BAR_LENGTH
 self.start = start
 self.step = step
 self.total = self.end - self.start
 self.counts = self.total / self.step
 self._barLength = ProgressBar.DEFAULT_BAR_LENGTH
 self.set_level(self.start)
 self._plotted = False
 def set_level_old(self, level, initial=False):
 """Setting Level."""
 self._level = level
 if level < self.start:
 self._level = self.start
 if level > self.end:
 self._level = self.end
 self._ratio = float(
 self._level - self.start) / float(self.end - self.start)
 self._levelChars = int(self._ratio * self._barLength)
 def set_level(self, level, initial=False):
 """Setting Level."""
 self._level = level
 if level < self.start:
 self._level = self.start
 if level > self.end:
 self._level = self.end
 self._ratio = float(self._level) / float(self._barLength)
 self._levelChars = int(self._ratio * self._barLength) * self.step
 def plot_progress(self):
 """Plotting the bar."""
 sys.stdout.write("\r %3i%% |%s%s|" % (
 int(self._ratio * self.step * 100.0),
 u'\u2588' * int(self._levelChars),
 ' ' * int(self._barLength - self._levelChars),
 ))
 sys.stdout.flush()
 self._plotted = True
 def set_and_plot(self, level):
 """Call the plot."""
 old_chars = self._levelChars
 self.set_level(level)
 if (not self._plotted) or (old_chars != self._levelChars):
 self.plot_progress()
 def __del__(self):
 """Del for the class."""
 sys.stdout.write("\n")
if __name__ == "__main__":
 pb = ProgressBar(0, 1)
 curProgress = 0
 pb.plot_progress()
 while curProgress <= pb.counts:
 pb.set_and_plot(curProgress)
 curProgress += 1
 time.sleep(0.1)
 del pb