mpr 1.26

Wrapper for MicroPython mpremote tool

MPR - Wrapper for MicroPython mpremote tool

The mpremote command line tool is used to interact with a MicroPython device over a USB/serial connection. It's an official part of MicroPython, well featured, and it works more reliably than competing tools. However, mpremote exhibits an unconventional and slightly awkward Linux command line interface. mpremote allows "chaining" of multiple sequential commands but the vast majority of users merely want to copy/delete files etc and unfortunately the mpremote user interface compromises usability for those most common use-cases. Also, users expect in-built help for all commands so they can easily see usage and expected arguments (e.g. like git provides).

So mpr presents an alternative interface which wraps mpremote to make it appear like a conventional Linux command line tool where only a single command is accepted (although there are global options to connect an explicit device; and/or mount a local directory before that command; and/or reset/reboot after the command). Unlike mpremote, mpr always allows you to exploit your shell wildcard abilities to pass multiple file/directory arguments to commands. Full in-built usage help is available for the tool, and each of it's commands (see Usage section below). It also provides a novel shortcut mechanism to infer target device directories based on where on your local PC you are copying files from or to. There are a few other nice features. The following session shows small examples of mpr in use.

$ tree
./
├── Makefile
├── boot.py
├── main.py
├── package_a.py
└── package_b/
    ├── file1.py
    └── file2.py

# View the inbuild usage/help for the put command (Note you can just type
# mpr without any arguments to see all available commands, see Usage
# section below):
$ mpr put -h
usage: mpr put [-h] [-f] [-r] src [src ...] dst

Copy one or more local files to directory on device.

positional arguments:
  src              name of local source file[s] on PC
  dst              name of destination dir on device

options:
  -h, --help       show this help message and exit
  -f, --file       destination is file, not directory
  -r, --recursive  copy local directory recursively to / on device

# Copy all Python files to root on device:
$ mpr put *.py /
cp boot.py :boot.py
cp main.py :main.py
cp package_a.py :package_a.py

# Create package_b dir and copy all package_b Python files:
$ mpr mkdir package_b
mkdir :package_b
$ cd package_b
# The following exploits mpr's directory inference feature to save typing
# the target directory, see Directory/Path Inference section below:
$ mpr put *.py //
cp file1.py :package_b/file1.py
cp file2.py :package_b/file2.py

# Connect to explicit 1st port, mount local dir, and then import main.py:
$ mpr -d id:0001 -m . exec 'import main'
...

I have developed this tool on Linux. The latest version and documentation is available at https://github.com/bulletmark/mpr.

Installation and Upgrade

Arch Linux users can install mpr from the AUR.

Python 3.7 or later is required. The mpremote program must be installed. Note mpr is on PyPI so just ensure that pipx is installed then type the following:

$ pipx install mpr

To upgrade:

$ pipx upgrade mpr

Usage

Type mpr or mpr -h to view the usage summary:

Usage: mpr [-h] [-d DEVICE] [-m MOUNT] [-M MOUNT_UNSAFE_LINKS] [-x]
                   [-b] [-p PATH_TO_MPREMOTE] [--mip-list-url MIP_LIST_URL]
                   [-v] [-V]
                   {get,g,put,p,copy,c,ls,mkdir,mkd,rmdir,rmd,rm,touch,edit,e,reset,x,reboot,b,repl,r,list,l,devs,run,xrun,xr,exec,eval,mip,m,bootloader,df,rtc,version,config,cf}
                   ...

This is a command line tool to wrap the MicroPython mpremote tool and provide
a more conventional command line interface. Multiple arguments can be
specified for commands and inbuilt usage help is provided for all commands.

Options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -d, --device DEVICE   serial port/device to connect to, default is "auto".
                        Specify "-d list" to print out device mnemonics that
                        can be used.
  -m, --mount MOUNT     mount local directory on device before command
  -M, --mount-unsafe-links MOUNT_UNSAFE_LINKS
                        mount local directory and allow external links
  -x, --reset           do soft reset after command
  -b, --reboot          do hard reboot after command
  -p, --path-to-mpremote PATH_TO_MPREMOTE
                        path to mpremote program. Assumes same directory as
                        this program, or then just "mpremote"
  --mip-list-url MIP_LIST_URL
                        mip list url for packages,
                        default="https://micropython.org/pi/v2/index.json"
  -v, --verbose         print mpremote execution command line (for debug)
  -V, --version         print mpr version

Commands:
  {get,g,put,p,copy,c,ls,mkdir,mkd,rmdir,rmd,rm,touch,edit,e,reset,x,reboot,b,repl,r,list,l,devs,run,xrun,xr,exec,eval,mip,m,bootloader,df,rtc,version,config,cf}
    get (g)             Copy one or more files from device to local directory.
    put (p)             Copy one or more local files to directory on device.
    copy (c)            Copy one of more remote files to a directory on
                        device.
    ls                  List directory on device.
    mkdir (mkd)         Create the given directory on device.
    rmdir (rmd)         Remove the given directory on device.
    rm                  Remove the given file on device.
    touch               Touch the given file on device.
    edit (e)            Edit the given file on device.
    reset (x)           Soft reset the device.
    reboot (b)          Hard reboot the device.
    repl (r)            Enter REPL on device.
    list (l, devs)      List currently connected devices.
    run                 Run the given local program on device.
    xrun (xr)           Tool to compile and run a local application/program on
                        device.
    exec                Execute the given strings on device.
    eval                Evaluate and print the given strings on device.
    mip (m)             Install packages from micropython-lib or third-party
                        sources.
    bootloader          Enter bootloader on device.
    df                  Show flash usage on device.
    rtc                 Get/set the Real Time Clock (RTC) time from/to device.
    version             Show mpremote version.
    config (cf)         Open the mpr configuration file with your editor.

Type "mpr <command> -h" to see specific help/usage for any of the above
commands. Some commands offer a short alias as seen in brackets above. Note
you can set default options in ~/.config/mpr.conf (e.g. for --path-to-mpremote
or --mip-list-url). Use "mpr config" to conveniently change the file.

Type mpr <command> -h to see specific help/usage for any individual command:

Command get

Usage: mpr get [-h] [-f] src [src ...] dst

Copy one or more files from device to local directory.

Positional Arguments:
  src         name of source file on device
  dst         name of local destination dir on PC, or "-" for stdout

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit
  -f, --file  destination is file, not directory

aliases: g

Command put

Usage: mpr put [-h] [-f] [-r] src [src ...] dst

Copy one or more local files to directory on device.

Positional Arguments:
  src              name of local source file on PC
  dst              name of destination dir on device

Options:
  -h, --help       show this help message and exit
  -f, --file       destination is file, not directory
  -r, --recursive  copy local directory recursively to / on device

aliases: p

Command copy

Usage: mpr copy [-h] [-f] src [src ...] dst

Copy one of more remote files to a directory on device.

Positional Arguments:
  src         name of source file on device
  dst         name of destination dir on device

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit
  -f, --file  destination is file, not directory

aliases: c

Command ls

Usage: mpr ls [-h] [dir]

List directory on device.

Positional Arguments:
  dir         name of dir (default: /)

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: <none>

Command mkdir

Usage: mpr mkdir [-h] [-q] dir [dir ...]

Create the given directory on device.

Positional Arguments:
  dir          name of dir

Options:
  -h, --help   show this help message and exit
  -q, --quiet  supress normal and error output

aliases: mkd

Command rmdir

Usage: mpr rmdir [-h] [-q] [--rf] [-d DEPTH] dir [dir ...]

Remove the given directory on device.

Positional Arguments:
  dir                   name of dir

Options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -q, --quiet           supress normal and error output
  --rf                  force remove given directories and files recursively
                        and quietly
  -d, --depth DEPTH     use with --rf to remove paths recursively to given
                        depth only, 1="/*", 2="/*/*", etc. Default is no
                        limit.

aliases: rmd

Command rm

Usage: mpr rm [-h] [-q] [--rf] [-d DEPTH] file [file ...]

Remove the given file on device.

Positional Arguments:
  file                  name of file

Options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -q, --quiet           supress normal and error output
  --rf                  force remove given directories and files recursively
                        and quietly
  -d, --depth DEPTH     use with --rf to remove paths recursively to given
                        depth only, 1="/*", 2="/*/*", etc. Default is no
                        limit.

aliases: <none>

Command touch

Usage: mpr touch [-h] file [file ...]

Touch the given file on device.

Positional Arguments:
  file        name of file

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: <none>

Command edit

Usage: mpr edit [-h] file [file ...]

Edit the given file on device. Copies the file from device, opens your editor
on that local file, then copies it back.

Positional Arguments:
  file        name of file

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: e

Command reset

Usage: mpr reset [-h]

Soft reset the device.

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: x

Command reboot

Usage: mpr reboot [-h] [delay_ms]

Hard reboot the device.

Positional Arguments:
  delay_ms    optional delay before reboot (millisecs)

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: b

Command repl

Usage: mpr repl [-h] [-e] [-c CAPTURE] [-x INJECT_CODE]
                        [-i INJECT_FILE]

Enter REPL on device.

Options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -e, --escape-non-printable
                        print non-printable bytes/chars as hex codes
  -c, --capture CAPTURE
                        capture output of the REPL session to given file
  -x, --inject-code INJECT_CODE
                        characters to inject at the REPL when Ctrl-J is
                        pressed
  -i, --inject-file INJECT_FILE
                        file to inject at the REPL when Ctrl-K is pressed

aliases: r

Command list

Usage: mpr list [-h]

List currently connected devices.

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: l, devs

Command run

Usage: mpr run [-h] [-f] script [script ...]

Run the given local program on device.

Positional Arguments:
  script           script to run

Options:
  -h, --help       show this help message and exit
  -f, --no-follow  do not keep following output, return immediately

aliases: <none>

Command xrun

Usage: mpr xrun [-h] [-f] [-D DEPTH] [-o] [-C] [-e EXCLUDE]
                        [--map MAP] [-1] [-X PATH_TO_MPY_CROSS]
                        [prog] [args ...]

Tool to compile and run a local application/program on device. Displays
program output in your local terminal using mpremote and, in parallel, it
waits watching for edits/changes to Python source files in the associated
directory tree on your host. When changes are detected then new .mpy bytecode
files for changed files are compiled using mpy-cross in a hidden cache
directory on your host and then copied to the device. The specified program is
then restarted and redisplayed in your local terminal. Command line arguments
on the host can be passed to the program via sys.argv on the device. Only .mpy
bytecode files are copied to the device, never .py source files, and the
specified prog[.py] is imported to run as a .mpy file. So you run this utility
in one terminal window while you edit your source files in other windows and
your program will be automatically restarted and redisplayed each time you
save your changes. Since all bytecode compilation is done on your host, not on
the remote device, your development workflow is faster to build, load, and
run; and device memory usage is significantly reduced. Note that you can
specify default options for this command locally in your working directory in
mpr-xrun.conf, or globally in ~/.config/mpr-xrun.conf.

Positional Arguments:
  prog                  name of .py module to run, e.g. "main.py". If not
                        specified then new .mpy files are merely compiled and
                        copied to the device.
  args                  optional arguments to pass in sys.argv to started
                        program. Separate with -- if switch options are passed

Options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -f, --flush           flush cache and force update of all .mpy files at
                        start
  -D, --depth DEPTH     directory depth limit, 1 = current directory only
  -o, --only            only monitor the specified program file, not the whole
                        directory/tree
  -C, --compile-only    just compile new .mpy files, don't copy to device or
                        run any program
  -e, --exclude EXCLUDE
                        exclude specified directory or file from monitoring.
                        Can specify this option multiple times. If you exclude
                        a directory then all files/dirs below it are also
                        excluded. Default excludes are "main.py" and
                        "boot.py". Any specified runnable "prog" file is
                        removed from the excludes list.
  --map MAP             map specified source name to different target name
                        when run as main prog, e.g. "main:main1" to map
                        main.py -> main1.mpy on target and "main1" will be
                        run. Can specify this option multiple times, e.g. may
                        want to map main.py and boot.py permanently for when
                        you run either as prog.
  -1, --once            run once only
  -X, --path-to-mpy-cross PATH_TO_MPY_CROSS
                        path to mpy-cross program. Assumes same directory as
                        this program, or then just "mpy-cross"

aliases: xr

Command exec

Usage: mpr exec [-h] [-f] string [string ...]

Execute the given strings on device.

Positional Arguments:
  string           string to execute

Options:
  -h, --help       show this help message and exit
  -f, --no-follow  do not keep following output, return immediately

aliases: <none>

Command eval

Usage: mpr eval [-h] string [string ...]

Evaluate and print the given strings on device.

Positional Arguments:
  string      string to evaluate

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: <none>

Command mip

Usage: mpr mip [-h] [-n] [-t TARGET] [-i INDEX]
                       {install,list} [package ...]

Install packages from micropython-lib or third-party sources.

Positional Arguments:
  {install,list}        mip command
  package               package specifications, e.g. "name", "name@version",
                        "github.org/repo", "github.org/repo@branch"

Options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -n, --no-mpy          download .py files, not compiled .mpy files
  -t, --target TARGET   destination directory on device, default="/lib"
  -i, --index INDEX     package index to use, default="micropython-lib"

aliases: m

Command bootloader

Usage: mpr bootloader [-h]

Enter bootloader on device.

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: <none>

Command df

Usage: mpr df [-h]

Show flash usage on device.

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: <none>

Command rtc

Usage: mpr rtc [-h] [-s]

Get/set the Real Time Clock (RTC) time from/to device.

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit
  -s, --set   set the RTC to the current PC time, default is to get the time

aliases: <none>

Command version

Usage: mpr version [-h]

Show mpremote version.

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: <none>

Command config

Usage: mpr config [-h]

Open the mpr configuration file with your editor.

Options:
  -h, --help  show this help message and exit

aliases: cf

Compatibility Notes

This section describes differences that users transitioning from mpremote to mpr should be aware of.

The usage/arguments of individual mpremote commands are not easily discoverable. mpr overcomes this by providing in-built full usage help for every individual command:

# See overall help:
$ mpr (or mpr -h)

# See help for a specific command:
$ mpr mkdir -h

Unlike mpremote, mpr implements each command as a standard Pythog Argparse subparser which means the help output is automatically generated from the software code so the user can be confident the help output is complete, and the individual command descriptions are syntactically accurate.

Most mpremote commands are available, but some are implemented in a different manner. Commands can not be chained, but that is usually only required for the mpremote connect and mount commands. In mpr, these two commands are available as global command line options, not as explicit commands. So for example, to connect to a specific device and mount your local directory before importing a module in mpremote you can do the following:

$ mpremote connect id:0001 mount . exec 'import test'

The equivalent mpr command is:

$ mpr -d id:0001 -m . exec 'import test'

All device full path names and mpremote defined shortcut names can be used for the -d/--device option. For convenience, you can type mpr -d list to print out the standard mpremote device names and shortcuts.

The cp command in mpremote is implemented with explicit get and put commands in mpr so there is no need for the user to use a : char to infer direction.

mpr provides shortcut aliases for the most commonly used longer commands, e.g. r for repl, p for put, and g for get. See the main help/usage for a list of all commands and their aliases. E.g, the command mpr put *.py / can instead be tersely typed as: mpr p *.py /.

Note that the mpr get, put, and copy commands always expect the specified target argument to be a directory, so if you want to rename a file when you copy it then you must explicitly indicate the target to be a file using the -f/--file option, e.g.

$ mpr get file.py newfile.py

# The above will fetch file.py to file.py/newfile.py which is not what
# you want. Add -f switch to specify that the target is a file:

$ mpr get -f file.py newfile.py

Commands mkdir, rmdir, and rm have a -q/--quiet option added to suppress normal and error output. E.g. you could use this in a script to ignore a mkdir error when the directory already exists.

The fs command is redundant in mpremote so is not implemented in mpr.

soft-reset is implemented in mpr as reset. Hardware reset is implemented in mpr as reboot. Mpr also adds global options to reset (-x/--reset) or reboot (-b/--reboot) after the specified command is run.

The cat command is implemented differently. Instead type mpr get file.py - to pipe a file to standard output.

The disconnect, resume, and umount commands are appropriate for use with "chained" commands which are not relevant to mpr so are not implemented.

You can not define shortcuts/macros with mpr, although all the standard macros within mpremote are available in mpr. Of course you can create standard shell based aliases and/or scripts invoking mpr if you want.

The mip command in mpremote currently only offers an install sub-command but mpr also offers a list sub-command which fetches all package descriptions from micropython.org and then prints their names, versions, and descriptions.

There are some undocumented features in mpremote which have been added to mpr as they are discovered.

1. The reboot command can accept an optional millisecs delay.
2. The put command (cp in mpremote) can copy a specified local directory recursively to root (/) on the device.

Device Shortcut Names

mpremote provides shortcut names, e.g:

a0, a1, a2, a3 - connect to /dev/ttyACMn
u0, u1, u2, u3 - connect to /dev/ttyUSBn
c0, c1, c2, c3 - connect to COMn

However for mpremote this only works for those first 4 devices of each type (as per this bug) so instead mpr converts these shortcuts itself so you can use up to any number you want, e.g: mpr -d u10 ls is a shortcut for mpr -d /dev/ttyUSB10 ls.

Use mpr -d list to remind yourself of device and shortcut names.

Recursive Deletion

mpremote allows you to delete one or more specified files but does not provide a mechanism to recursively delete a whole directory and it's files. Since this is commonly desired, mpr adds a --rf option to both the rm and rmdir commands. The specified directory and it files are deleted recursively (although the top/root directory / is always preserved). Some examples:

# Remove all files and directories on the device (but preserve '/'):
$ mpr rm --rf /

# Remove /lib/ directory completely (including it's files/dirs):
$ mpr rm --rf /lib

# Remove the top level files but preserve any directories:
$ mpr rm --rf --depth 1 /

Remote Compilation and Development

mpremote (and thus mpr) provides the run command to run a single python file on the connected device. However, this proves inadequate when developing any significant application which is comprised of multiple files, and sometimes in various package directories. So mpr adds an xrun command (think extended run).

Running the xrun command in an application's directory runs that program and displays program output in your local terminal. In parallel, it waits watching for edits/changes to Python source files in that directory tree on your host. When changes are detected then new .mpy bytecode files for changed files are compiled using mpy-cross in a hidden cache directory on your host and then copied to the device. The specified program is then restarted and redisplayed in your local terminal. Command line arguments on the host can be passed to the program via sys.argv on the device. Only .mpy bytecode files are copied to the device, never .py source files, and the specified prog[.py] is imported to run as a .mpy file. So you run this utility in one terminal window while you edit your source files in other windows and your program will be automatically restarted and redisplayed each time you save your changes. Since all bytecode compilation is done on your host, not on the remote device, your development workflow is faster to build, load, and run; and device memory usage is significantly reduced.

Note that mpr does not automatically create the required mirror of directories for your files on the device. You are expected to initially create/update these manually using the mpr mkdir and/or mpr rmdir commands.

Note that you can specify default options for the xrun command locally in your working directory in mpr-xrun.conf, or globally in ~/.config/mpr-xrun.conf.

Default Options

You can set default global starting options for your user in ~/.config/mpr.conf. E.g. use this to set a default --path-to-mpremote setting so it does not have to be specified each time. Blank lines and anything after a # on any line is ignored.

E.g. create ~/.config/mpr.conf with contents:

--path-to-mpremote ~/.local/bin/mpremote

Now you need only specify the command, e.g. mpr ls and it will use that specified ~/.local/bin/mpremote program.

You can use the mpr config command to conveniently change this file (merely as a shortcut to explicitly specifying your editor and the path to the file). You can keep commented out configurations for a number of different settings in your file (e.g. various --device and/or --mount options) and switch between them by un-commenting the lines you want to use.

Note that the xrun command can be independently set with it's own default options as described in the previous section.

Directory/Path Inference

For the following discussion, assume you have a project structured as follows on your local machine and the same directory hierarchy is used on your target device.

./
├── file1.py
├── file2.py
└── mymodule/
    ├── file3.py
    ├── file4.py
    └── templates/
        ├── file5.tpl
        └── file6.tpl

mpr automatically appends the target file name when appropriate, e.g. if you are sitting in the root of the above tree, you only need to type mpr put file1.py / instead of mpr put file1.py /file1.py. For this reason, you can copy multiple files with mpr put file1.py file2.py / or mpr put *.py /. Further to this, mpr can also infer the appropriate target directory as described next.

If you are currently sitting in the directory mymodule/templates/ on your local machine and you want to copy file5.tpl to the /mymodule/templates/ on the target device then the command you would naively use is:

$ mpr put file5.tpl /mymodule/templates

To avoid this verbose typing, mpr allows you to instead use the following shortcut because mpr can "infer" the full target path based on your current local directory:

$ mpr put file5.tpl ///

To then remove that same file from the target device:

$ mpr rm ///file5.tpl

I.e., mpr intercepts the two redundant lead slashes for the above two cases and automatically inserts the parent and current directory names in the path string (determined from the current directory on your local machine). To be clear, if you are sitting one level above in the mymodule directory then the command to copy to that same directory on the target device is:

$ mpr put file3.py //

You can also use this shorthand for source files/dirs by inserting a sequence of leading slashes as a "dummy" argument. Once set, that dummy argument sets the default directory for the following arguments. E.g. if you are sitting in the local templates directory then to delete all the *.tpl files in the same directory on the target you can type:

$ mpr rm /// file5.tpl file6.tpl

or just:

$ mpr rm /// *.tpl

Note the 2nd "trick" above exploits the wildcard file list generated by your shell to pass those local file names to the remote device. It assumes those same names exist in the analogous directory there (and arguably this trick should be avoided!).

Path to mpremote

Many using this program possibly also have downloaded the MicroPython source tree for building firmware images. E.g. the source installed at /opt/micropython/ also includes mpremote at /opt/micropython/tools/mpremote/mpremote.py. So for this reason mpr does not require mpremote to be explicitly installed as a formal package.

Mpr first looks for a mpremote program in the same directory as it's own executable mpr self, otherwise mpr assumes mpremote is somewhere in your PATH (e.g. at /usr/bin/mpremote). Alternatively, you can specify the option --path-to-mpremote to explicitly specify the path, e.g. if you have the MicroPython source installed somewhere then you don't need to formally install mpremote and can instead just set e.g. --path-to-mpremote /opt/micropython/tools/mpremote/mpremote.py in your ~/.config/mpr.conf as a default option as described in a previous section.

Command Line Tab Completion

Command line shell tab completion is automatically enabled on mpr commands and options using argcomplete. You may need to first (once-only) activate argcomplete global completion.

Troubleshooting

Note that mpr is essentially just a thin wrapper around mpremote and exists merely to provide a simpler, and hopefully more consistent and familiar command line interface, particularly for Linux shell command line users.

This means that most execution problems you may encounter will likely due to mpremote, not mpr. So if you think your find a problem in mpr, always run mpr with the -v option to see the command line being executed with mpremote. If that command line looks ok, but mpremote is not doing what you expect, then run mpremote manually with those same mpremote options + arguments to prove to yourself that mpremote is exhibiting that issue, not mpr.

If you run mpr with the -v option and see a wrong or unexpected mpremote command being executed, then certainly raise an mpr discussion thread, or issue about that.

License

Copyright (C) 2022 Mark Blakeney. This program is distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License. This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License at http://www.gnu.org/licenses/ for more details.