Lets say I have a python script that makes an http request and prints the response code to the screen and exits.
# check_app_status.py
import requests
r = requests.get("https://someapp.com")
print r.status_code
Now i can run it by
$ python check_app_status.py
200
What do I need to set up to be able to run it like this
$ check-app
200
Assuming you're on a unixoid system, you just need to add a shebang line:
#!/usr/local/bin/python
import requests
...
The exact location of the python executable may vary, so you can alternatively also use the shebang line #!/usr/bin/env python, which should always work.
Then, set the executable bit (chmod +x check-app). Finally, if you want to be able to call it from any location, put it somewhere in your $PATH. I would recommend extending your $PATH with a custom directory where you put your scripts (in this case ~/bin). To do that, put this in your .bashrc (or similar):
export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/bin
