What are some troubleshooting steps for print scripts?

When Print Scripts Go Silent: What’s Really Going On?

Before I knew better, I wasted hours staring at a Python script that should have printed “Hello World” but didn’t. No errors, just… silence. If you’ve ever run a print script and been met with emptiness, you know how maddening it is. Sometimes it’s the environment; sometimes it’s something more subtle, like encoding or buffering. This guide doesn’t just list steps—it walks through the bumpy road of real troubleshooting, with a few war stories and industry insights thrown in.

Step 1: Double-Check the Obvious (It’s Not Always That Obvious)

I once spent 20 minutes debugging a Bash script before realizing I’d added a typo: `prnt "Hello"` instead of `print "Hello"`. Silly? Yes. Uncommon? Not at all. Here’s what I do now, every single time:

• Check for typos in the print statement.
• Make sure the script is actually being executed (not an old version, not a different file).
• Look for accidental redirection: Is stdout being piped or redirected?

Step 2: Print to a File—Is Output Actually Happening?

Sometimes, especially in production environments or when running scripts over SSH, print output gets lost. When I suspect this, I change my script to:

python
with open("test_output.log", "w") as f:
    print("Hello world", file=f)

If the file gets created and contains the message, it’s an environment issue. If not, the problem is in the script logic.

Step 3: Check Environment Variables and System Encoding

On a client’s server, print statements appeared blank because the system’s locale/encoding was misconfigured. Instead of UTF-8, it defaulted to ASCII and choked on non-English characters. The fix? Set environment variables properly:

export LANG=en_US.UTF-8
export LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8

And always test with:

python -c 'print("测试中文")'

If you see gibberish or nothing, fix the encoding.

Step 4: Flush and Buffering

Another day, another weird bug: prints didn’t show up until the script finished. It turns out, Python buffers output by default. You can force immediate output with:

print("Immediate output", flush=True)

Or, in bash:

python -u yourscript.py

This Python docs page explains the -u flag.

Step 5: Permissions and Execution Context

I once forgot that running a script as a different user (say, via cron) can change where output goes—or if it’s allowed at all. Cron, for instance, won’t show output in your terminal; it might email it or drop it. Always check the script’s execution context.

Step 6: External Library and Framework Output

If you’re using frameworks (Django, Flask, Node.js), “print” might not actually print to the terminal—it might log to a file, or stdout might be captured. In Flask, for example, you might need to look at the server logs instead:

flask run --debug
# Check logs in the console or log files

I once spent an hour chasing down missing print statements in a Flask app, only to find they were being logged elsewhere due to WSGI redirection.

Step 7: Advanced—Check for System-Level Issues

In rare cases, system-level restrictions (AppArmor, SELinux, Docker container misconfiguration) can block output or redirect it somewhere unexpected. On Docker, always check:

docker logs container_name

If your script runs inside a restricted shell or chroot, output might be blocked entirely.

Case Study: Debugging a Cross-Border Trade Script

Let me share a simulated scenario from a compliance project:

Scenario: A-Trade vs. B-Trade Dispute

Company X operates in Country A, which uses ISO 9001 certification as its "verified trade" standard, enforced by A’s Ministry of Commerce. Company Y, in Country B, recognizes only WTO TFA (Trade Facilitation Agreement) standards, overseen by B’s Customs Authority. When X’s print script outputs a digital trade certificate, B rejects it—“format not recognized.” I worked with both teams. First, we printed the certificate directly on X’s server—looked fine. But when transmitted, non-ASCII characters (like the ü in “Müller”) disappeared. Tracing the logs, we found Country A’s system used UTF-8, while B’s expected ISO-8859-1. The solution? Convert encoding before transmission:

iconv -f UTF-8 -t ISO-8859-1 cert.txt -o cert_converted.txt

This solved the immediate output issue, but the underlying standards mismatch required a policy-level fix.

Regulatory References: Who Sets the Rules?

Different countries recognize different trade verification standards. Here’s a quick comparison:

Country	Standard Name	Legal Basis	Enforcement Agency
USA	Verified Exporter Program (VEP)	CBP Regulations, 19 CFR	U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
EU	Authorised Economic Operator (AEO)	EU Customs Code, Regulation (EU) No 952/2013	European Commission DG TAXUD
China	高级认证企业 (Advanced Certified Enterprise, ACE)	GACC Order No. 251	General Administration of Customs of China (GACC)
Japan	AEO Program	Customs Law, Article 77-4	Japan Customs

Expert Voice: How Real-World Operators Tackle Print Script Issues

I recently asked Clara, a senior compliance officer at a multinational logistics firm, what she does when print scripts fail at the border:

“In our experience, the biggest gotcha is environment mismatch. A script that runs locally can break when run on a customs server in a different country. We always check encoding, environment variables, and—honestly—sometimes just print debugging output to a file and email it to ourselves. Don’t assume what works at your desk will work internationally.”

This matches what I’ve seen: the smallest assumptions about how print output behaves can blow up in cross-border settings.

Common Pitfalls and a Personal Confession

Here’s my own hard-learned lesson: once, after updating a Python script to automate certificate printing, I neglected to check the Docker container’s log settings. The container swallowed all standard output unless I attached to it with `docker logs`. The client panicked, thinking the system failed. Now, I always check container logging and log rotation settings first.

Conclusion: What to Do Next When Print Scripts Misbehave

If your print script isn’t showing output, don’t panic. Start with the basics (typos, environment, execution context), test output to a file, then work up to encoding, buffering, and system-level checks. Remember that international environments bring in new variables: encoding standards, regulatory requirements, and even how “output” is defined can differ by country. If you’re dealing with cross-border trade scripts, consult the relevant regulatory documentation—like WTO TFA or CBP guidance—and always confirm which “verified trade” standard applies before troubleshooting. Sometimes, the print issue is just a symptom of a deeper compliance mismatch. My advice? Don’t trust that a script that works at home will work in production—especially not in another country or regulatory regime. Test, test, and test again.