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has_colors(stream): Does an output stream support colors? (Python recipe) by Ori Peleg
ActiveState Code (http://code.activestate.com/recipes/475186/)

Great for deciding automatically whether to use colors.

Based on http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/475116

Python, 13 lines
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def has_colors(stream):
    if not hasattr(stream, "isatty"):
        return False
    if not stream.isatty():
        return False # auto color only on TTYs

    try:
        import curses
        curses.setupterm()
        return curses.tigetnum("colors") > 2
    except:
        # guess false in case of error
        return False

Demonstration: <pre> import sys print has_colors(sys.stderr) </pre> A console program that supports color can decide automatically whether to use colors. The function returns false if the terminal doesn't support colors, or if the output is piped or redirected.

Based on http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/475116

which shows, among other stuff, how to get terminfo variables on the terminal.

Used in Testoob, http://testoob.sourceforge.net

Tags: programs