Use Python to read from NXP PN7120/PN7150

pn7150.py

# https://gist.github.com/doronhorwitz/fc5c4234a9db9ed87c53213d79e63b6c

# https://www.nxp.com/docs/en/application-note/AN11697.pdf explains how to setup a demo of the PN7120/PN7150.
# With that demo comes an executable called 'nfcDemoApp'. This gist is a proof of concept for how to read from that
# executable in Python.

# The class (which is called PN7150, even though it also should support PN7120) reads the output from the PN7150 each
# time a tag is read. It finds the line starting with "Text :" and extracts out the text - which is the text stored
# by the NFC tag.
# The reading is done in a separate thread, which calls a callback with the text every time an NFC tag is read.
# Writing and single synchronous reads are also supported

# Lots of inspiration and learning from various places including:
# https://github.com/NXPNFCLinux/linux_libnfc-nci/issues/49#issuecomment-326301669
# https://stackoverflow.com/a/4791612
# https://stackoverflow.com/a/38802275
# https://repolinux.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/non-blocking-read-from-stdin-in-python/
# https://stackoverflow.com/questions/18225816/indicate-no-more-input-without-closing-pty

import os
import pty
import shlex
import subprocess
import threading


_MAX_WRITE_RETRIES = 5
_OUTPUT_TEXT = 'Text :'
_OUTPUT_TAG_WRITTEN = 'Write Tag OK'
_OUTPUT_READ_FAILED = 'Read NDEF Content Failed'
_CMD_POLL = '{nfc_demo_app_path} poll'
_CMD_WRITE = '{nfc_demo_app_path} write --type=Text -l en -r "{new_text}"'
_NFC_DEMO_APP_NAME = 'nfcDemoApp'
_NFC_DEMO_APP_DEFAULT_LOCATION = '/usr/sbin'


class PN7150(object):
    """
    Can use this class as follows:

    pn7150 = PN7150()


    Start Continuous Reading
    ========================
    def text_callback(text):
       ... do something with text

    pn7150.when_tag_read = text_callback
    pn7150.start_reading()


    Stop Continuous Reading (be sure to do this before your program ends)
    =======================
    pn7150.stop_reading()


    Read Once
    =========
    text = pn7150.read_once()


    Write
    =====
    success = pn7150.write("some text")
    """

    def __init__(self, nfc_demo_app_location=_NFC_DEMO_APP_DEFAULT_LOCATION):
        self._nfc_demo_app_location = nfc_demo_app_location
        self._read_running = False
        self._proc = None
        self._slave = None
        self.when_tag_read = None

    def _read_thread(self):
        cmd = _CMD_POLL.format(nfc_demo_app_path=self._nfc_demo_app_path)
        master, self._slave = pty.openpty()
        self._proc = subprocess.Popen(shlex.split(cmd), stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=self._slave, stderr=self._slave)
        stdout = os.fdopen(master)

        self._read_running = True
        while self._read_running:
            try:
                line = stdout.readline()
                if _OUTPUT_TEXT in line:
                    first = line.find("'")
                    last = line.rfind("'")
                    text = line[first + 1:last]
                    if self.when_tag_read:
                        self.when_tag_read(text)
            except (IOError, OSError):
                pass

    def _write_once(self, new_text):
        cmd = _CMD_WRITE.format(nfc_demo_app_path=self._nfc_demo_app_path, new_text=new_text)
        master, slave = pty.openpty()
        proc = subprocess.Popen(shlex.split(cmd), stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=slave, stderr=slave)
        stdout = os.fdopen(master)

        been_written = False
        been_checked = False
        checked_text = None
        while not been_written or not been_checked:
            line = stdout.readline()
            if _OUTPUT_TAG_WRITTEN in line:
                been_written = True
            elif been_written and _OUTPUT_TEXT in line:
                first = line.find("'")
                last = line.rfind("'")
                checked_text = line[first + 1:last]
                been_checked = True

        proc.terminate()
        os.close(slave)
        return checked_text == new_text

    @property
    def _nfc_demo_app_path(self):
        return os.path.join(self._nfc_demo_app_location, _NFC_DEMO_APP_NAME)

    def start_reading(self):
        if not self._read_running:
            thread = threading.Thread(target=self._read_thread)
            thread.start()

    def stop_reading(self):
        if self._read_running:
            self._proc.terminate()
            self._read_running = False
            os.close(self._slave)

    def read_once(self):
        cmd = _CMD_POLL.format(nfc_demo_app_path=self._nfc_demo_app_path)
        master, slave = pty.openpty()
        proc = subprocess.Popen(shlex.split(cmd), stdin=subprocess.PIPE, stdout=slave, stderr=slave)
        stdout = os.fdopen(master)

        been_read = False
        text = None
        while not been_read:
            line = stdout.readline()
            if _OUTPUT_TEXT in line:
                first = line.find("'")
                last = line.rfind("'")
                text = line[first + 1:last]
                been_read = True
            elif _OUTPUT_READ_FAILED in line:
                been_read = True

        proc.terminate()
        os.close(slave)
        return text

    def write(self, new_text):
        if self._read_running:
            self.stop_reading()

        existing_text = self.read_once()
        if existing_text != new_text:
            success = False
            count = 0
            while not success and count < _MAX_WRITE_RETRIES:
                success = self._write_once(new_text)
            return success
        else:
            return True

Note that this code only works in Python 3

Edit: It now works in Python 2 and 3.

Working on A Python interface to NXP's NFC-NCI C API as an improvement to the above Gist. Any contributions there would be more than welcome