How to Call Python Functions from JavaScript Code

Invoking Python Functions from JavaScript Code

In scenarios where JavaScript lacks the necessary capabilities to fulfill specific requirements, it becomes necessary to explore the possibility of integrating Python functions into JavaScript code. This article aims to address this need by guiding you through the process of establishing such a connection and providing a modified code snippet that effectively accomplishes this task.

Initial JavaScript Code:

The provided JavaScript code, shown below, represents the initial attempt to call a Python function:

<code class="javascript">var tag = document.getElementsByTagName("p")[0];
text = tag.innerHTML;
// Here I would like to call the Python interpreter with Python function
arrOfStrings = openSomehowPythonInterpreter("~/pythoncode.py", "processParagraph(text)");</code>

Python Script (~/pythoncode.py):

The Python script contains functions that leverage advanced libraries, such as nltk, which have no straightforward JavaScript equivalents:

<code class="python">import nltk # is not in JavaScript
def processParagraph(text):
  ...
  nltk calls
  ...
  return lst # returns a list of strings (will be converted to JavaScript array)</code>

Solution: AJAX Request to Python Script

To effectively bridge the gap between JavaScript and Python code, the recommended approach involves sending an AJAX request to the Python script. This can be achieved using either the jQuery library or JavaScript itself:

<code class="javascript">$.ajax({
  type: "POST",
  url: "~/pythoncode.py",
  data: { param: text}
}).done(function( o ) {
   // do something
});</code>

By utilizing AJAX, your JavaScript code establishes communication with the Python script and triggers its execution with the provided text as input. The Python script then executes the desired function, processes the text, and returns an array of strings that is converted into a JavaScript array. This seamless integration allows you to harness the capabilities of Python within your JavaScript applications.

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