When working with Azure self-hosted Windows agents, it is often necessary to determine the tool files in use and the Python version being used. In this article, we will explore three different ways to solve this problem using Python.

Option 1: Using the os module

The os module in Python provides a way to interact with the operating system. We can use the os.environ dictionary to access environment variables, which can give us information about the tool files in use and the Python version.

import os

tool_files = os.environ.get('AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY')
python_version = os.environ.get('PYTHON_VERSION')

print(f"Tool files in use: {tool_files}")
print(f"Python version: {python_version}")

This code snippet uses the os.environ.get() method to retrieve the values of the ‘AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY’ and ‘PYTHON_VERSION’ environment variables. It then prints the tool files in use and the Python version.

Option 2: Using the sys module

The sys module in Python provides access to some variables used or maintained by the interpreter and to functions that interact with the interpreter. We can use the sys.executable attribute to get the path of the Python interpreter being used.

import sys

tool_files = os.environ.get('AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY')
python_version = sys.version

print(f"Tool files in use: {tool_files}")
print(f"Python version: {python_version}")

This code snippet uses the sys.version attribute to retrieve the Python version. It then prints the tool files in use and the Python version.

Option 3: Using the platform module

The platform module in Python provides an interface to various services that interact with the underlying platform. We can use the platform.python_version() function to get the Python version being used.

import platform

tool_files = os.environ.get('AGENT_TOOLSDIRECTORY')
python_version = platform.python_version()

print(f"Tool files in use: {tool_files}")
print(f"Python version: {python_version}")

This code snippet uses the platform.python_version() function to retrieve the Python version. It then prints the tool files in use and the Python version.

After exploring these three options, it is clear that Option 3, using the platform module, is the best solution. It provides a dedicated function to retrieve the Python version, making the code more readable and concise. Additionally, the platform module offers other useful functions for interacting with the underlying platform, making it a versatile choice for working with Azure self-hosted Windows agents.