Cannot run setuid commands like sudo with spawn

[cchiu1]

I installed the pexpect on Python 2.7.7 and CentOS 6.5.
On a terminal, I can run "sudo ls".
However, if I put "pexpect.spawn('sudo ls')" in a Python script, I always get the exception "The command was not found or was not executable: sudo.".
I confirmed that "sudo" is in /usr/bin/.
How do I make it executable for "pexpect"?

[jquast]

can you please try instead:
pexpect.spawn('sudo', ['ls'])

[jquast]

And also:

import os
'/usr/bin' in os.environ['PATH'].split(os.pathsep) # should print True

[jquast]

I see the problem, it is a regression of my recent "which" change. It does not "appear executable" ?

---s--x--x. 1 root root 123832 Feb 22 2013 /usr/bin/sudo

@cchiu1: Use this as a workaround until we can release a fix please!

>>> p=pexpect.spawn('bash', ['-c', 'sudo ls'])
>>> p.expect(pexpect.EOF)
0
>>> p.before
'bin\t\t      pylint.cfg\t\t setup.cfg\r\nbuild(...)'

[jquast]

So we have learned you may execute files that you may not read !

$ file `which sudo`
/usr/bin/sudo: setuid executable, regular file, no read permission
$ cat `which sudo`
cat: /usr/bin/sudo: Permission denied

[egrim]

Here's an alternative workaround to get sudo working for anyone else running into this:

pexpect.which, original_which = (lambda filename: '/usr/bin/sudo' if filename in ('sudo', '/usr/bin/sudo') else original_which(filename),
                                 pexpect.which)

[jquast]

Fixed in upcoming 4.0 release by #106. #106 was earmarked for release 3.4 which was meant to be release but did not happen for some unfortunate reason, submitted PR #257 to avoid such release confusion.

Hope to have 4.0 out soon, just awaiting @takluyver's approval of pending PR's and his publish ok.