python httpserver on separate thread

Question

I am trying to create an httpserver on a separate thread which should process a single get request and shutdown if a single parameter is passed in the url.

import sys
import threading
import BaseHTTPServer
from SimpleHTTPServer import SimpleHTTPRequestHandler

class WebServer(SimpleHTTPRequestHandler,threading.Thread):
    port = 9000
    protocol_version = "HTTP/1.1"
    code = ""        
    httpd = None
    isRunning = False
    def do_GET(self):
        self.send_response(200)
        self.send_header("Content-type","text/html")
        self.end_headers()
        self.wfile.write("webpage")
        try:
            self.code = split(self.path,"=")[1]
        except:
            pass
        else:
            self.isRunning=False
            self.stop()            
    def do_POST(self):
        pass
    def __init__(self,port=9000):
        threading.Thread.__init__(self)
        self.port=port
    def run(self):
        while True:
            server_address = ("127.0.0.1",self.port)
            try:
                self.httpd = BaseHTTPServer.HTTPServer(server_address,WebServer)
            except:
                self.port +=1
            else:
                break
        self.isRunning=True
        self.httpd.serve_forever()

server = WebServer(1)
server.start()
while(server.isRunning==False):
    pass
print "Server running on port: %d" %(server.port)
server.join()
print "code: "+server.code

But an error occurs when a request is sent to it:

Server running on port: 1025
----------------------------------------
Exception happened during processing of request from ('127.0.0.1', 56462)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/SocketServer.py", line 295, in _handle_request_noblock
    self.process_request(request, client_address)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/SocketServer.py", line 321, in process_request
    self.finish_request(request, client_address)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/SocketServer.py", line 334, in finish_request
    self.RequestHandlerClass(request, client_address, self)
TypeError: __init__() takes at most 2 arguments (4 given)
----------------------------------------

when using curl to connect to the server,it gives this error:

curl: (52) Empty reply from server 

Answer 1

you're trying to do too many things with one class.

the way that the SimpleHTTPRequestHandler works is that the BaseHTTPServer creates a new instance to handle each request. it does that by calling the constructor. but you have added a new constructor which you are using to create the server itself.

is that clear?

when the BaseHttpServer receives a request it takes the WebServer class (which you pass in as a subclass of SimpleHTTPRequestHandler where you create self.httpd) and tries to create an instance. it expects the constructor for the SimpleHTTPRequestHandler subclass to have four arguments, but you've added a new constructor which takes only two (and is intended to create a web server, not a handler).

it's weird because you're probably not used to things creating a new instance. but that's how it works.

so separate your server and your request handler into two separate classes (as kichik says).