python - Tasklist output

Question

I am pretty new to python, but I am unable to find an answer to what I am thinking should be a relatively simple issue.

I am trying to utilize tasklist, and I am wondering what I can do with the output of it (like set it to a variable, an array, things like that).

I am using Python 3.3, and I have had some trouble finding documentation on 3.3.

The code is relatively simple:

import os
os.system("tasklist")
input()

This prints the tasklist, but I have had trouble getting data from that print into variables. I am assuming it's something minor to do with Python, and not to do with tasklist.

Ultimately I am looking to make a matrix of the tasklist entries, that way I can search for a process, and grab the corresponding data.

Answer 1

Based on a few of the other answers...

import subprocess
import re    
def get_processes_running():
    """ Takes tasklist output and parses the table into a dict

    Example:
        C:UsersUser>tasklist

        Image Name                     PID Session Name        Session#    Mem Usage
        ========================= ======== ================ =========== ============
        System Idle Process              0 Services                   0         24 K
        System                           4 Services                   0     43,064 K
        smss.exe                       400 Services                   0      1,548 K
        csrss.exe                      564 Services                   0      6,144 K
        wininit.exe                    652 Services                   0      5,044 K
        csrss.exe                      676 Console                    1      9,392 K
        services.exe                   708 Services                   0     17,944 K
        lsass.exe                      728 Services                   0     16,780 K
        winlogon.exe                   760 Console                    1      8,264 K

        # ... etc... 

    Returns: 
        [   {'image': 'System Idle Process', 'mem_usage': '24 K', 'pid': '0', 'session_name': 'Services', 'session_num': '0'}, 
            {'image': 'System', 'mem_usage': '43,064 K', 'pid': '4', 'session_name': 'Services', 'session_num': '0'}, 
            {'image': 'smss.exe', 'mem_usage': '1,548 K', 'pid': '400', 'session_name': 'Services', 'session_num': '0'}, 
            {'image': 'csrss.exe', 'mem_usage': '6,144 K', 'pid': '564', 'session_name': 'Services', 'session_num': '0'}, 
            {'image': 'wininit.exe', 'mem_usage': '5,044 K', 'pid': '652', 'session_name': 'Services', 'session_num': '0'}, 
            {'image': 'csrss.exe', 'mem_usage': '9,392 K', 'pid': '676', 'session_name': 'Console', 'session_num': '1'}, 
            {'image': 'services.exe', 'mem_usage': '17,892 K', 'pid': '708', 'session_name': 'Services', 'session_num': '0'}, 
            {'image': 'lsass.exe', 'mem_usage': '16,764 K', 'pid': '728', 'session_name': 'Services', 'session_num': '0'}, 
            {'image': 'winlogon.exe', 'mem_usage': '8,264 K', 'pid': '760', 'session_name': 'Console', 'session_num': '1'},
            #... etc... 
        ]

    """
    tasks = subprocess.check_output(['tasklist']).split("
")
    p = []
    for task in tasks:
        m = re.match("(.+?) +(d+) (.+?) +(d+) +(d+.* K).*",task)
        if m is not None:
            p.append({"image":m.group(1),
                        "pid":m.group(2),
                        "session_name":m.group(3),
                        "session_num":m.group(4),
                        "mem_usage":m.group(5)
                        })
    return p