debugging python files executed with exec

[kbpartha]

Hello

We have a requirement where we build a Python exe using PyInstaller. In the exe we use exec command to run an external file. We want to debug this file. Please let me know how this can be achieved using debugpy

Thanks
Partha

[Rich Chiodo (rchiodo)]

Transferring to Q&A, since this is a question and not a bug.

[Rich Chiodo (rchiodo)]

If you want to debug the file, you'd attach to the main process. Exec doesn't create a separate process, so you'd debug the original process instead.

[kbpartha]

Attach a process does not show the exe generated by PyInstaller. Please suggest how this can be achieved.

[Rich Chiodo (rchiodo)]

Try this:

    {
      "name": "Python Debugger: Attach to Process",
      "type": "debugpy",
      "request": "attach",
      "processId": "${command:pickProcess}",
    },

That should let you pick any process

[kbpartha]

The exe is built using PyInstaller in PyCharm. When I try to launch the .py file from VS Code. I see the below error in my exe logs. Please suggest.

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "c:\Users\user.vscode\extensions\ms-python.debugpy-2024.14.0-win32-x64\bundled\libs\debugpy\adapter/../..\debugpy/..\debugpy\server\attach_pid_injected.py", line 59, in attach
import debugpy.server
File "c:\Users\user.vscode\extensions\ms-python.debugpy-2024.14.0-win32-x64\bundled\libs\debugpy\server_init_.py", line 7, in
import debugpy._vendored.force_pydevd # noqa
File "c:\Users\user.vscode\extensions\ms-python.debugpy-2024.14.0-win32-x64\bundled\libs\debugpy_vendored\force_pydevd.py", line 34, in
pydevd_constants = import_module('pydevd_bundle.pydevd_constants')
File "importlib_init.py", line 127, in import_module
File "c:\Users\user.vscode\extensions\ms-python.debugpy-2024.14.0-win32-x64\bundled\libs\debugpy_vendored\pydevd_pydevd_bundle\pydevd_constants.py", line 436, in
from _pydev_bundle._pydev_saved_modules import thread, threading
File "c:\Users\user.vscode\extensions\ms-python.debugpy-2024.14.0-win32-x64\bundled\libs\debugpy_vendored\pydevd_pydev_bundle_pydev_saved_modules.py", line 123, in
import xmlrpc.server as xmlrpcserver
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'xmlrpc.server'

[Rich Chiodo (rchiodo)]

I'm not an expert on PyInstaller but my guess is that the exe it creates does not look outside itself for modules. So if the debugger imports anything that isn't already in the exe, it fails.

You might look into adding an import hook (or adding xmlrpc to your application):
https://pyinstaller.org/en/stable/hooks.html