[Python] Button "Clean FFMeta" does nothing after compiling with PyInstaller

I’m working on my first Python project and I’ve compiled it into an executable using PyInstaller with the following command:

pyinstaller --onefile --noconsole app.py


However, when I run the executable, the button "Clean FFMeta" which triggers the clean_ffmeta() function does nothing. Additionally, changing the language or the chapter settings under the "Options -> Chapter settings" menu doesn’t seem to affect anything either. It all works perfectly in the Python script before compilation, but once compiled into an .exe, none of these functions respond.

I've reviewed the code, and the button is correctly linked to the function, but I suspect something might be going wrong during the compilation process.

What I have tried:

• Checked that all dependencies are included.
• Verified that the configuration and language changes are being correctly applied before compilation.
• Tried running the executable from a console to check for error messages, but there are none visible (since I used --noconsole).

What I expect:

• The "Clean FFMeta" button should clean the FFMeta file based on the user settings.
• Language and chapter settings should be updated and reflected in the GUI immediately.

Code: Below is a simplified version of my code, especially the sections related to the "Clean FFMeta" functionality and language/chapter settings.

def clean_ffmeta():
if not config.get("cd_in_path"):
show_error(texts[current_language]["error"] + " No CD_IN path configured.")
return

chapter_path = os.path.join(config["cd_in_path"], "chapters.ffmeta")
cleaned_chapter_path = os.path.join(config["cd_in_path"], "chapters_cleaned.ffmeta")

if not os.path.exists(chapter_path):
show_error(texts[current_language]["no_chapters_file"])
return

write_to_console("Starting to clean FFMeta...")
thread = threading.Thread(target=clean_ffmeta_thread, args=(chapter_path, cleaned_chapter_path))
thread.start()

def clean_ffmeta_thread(chapter_path, cleaned_chapter_path):
try:
chapter_action = config.get("chapter_action", "clean")
keep_empty = config.get("chapter_keep_empty", False)

write_to_console(f"Chapter action: {chapter_action}, Keep empty: {keep_empty}")

with open(chapter_path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
lines = f.readlines()

new_lines = []
chapter_counter = 0

for line in lines:
stripped_line = line.strip()
if stripped_line.startswith("title="):
title_content = stripped_line[6:]

if chapter_action == "clean":
if title_content == "":
if keep_empty:
new_lines.append(line)
else:
write_to_console("Empty title skipped.")
continue
else:
new_lines.append(line)

elif chapter_action == "number":
chapter_counter += 1
chapter_title = f"{texts[current_language]['chapter']} {chapter_counter}"
new_lines.append(f"title={chapter_title}\n")
write_to_console(f"Renamed to: {chapter_title}")
else:
new_lines.append(line)

with open(cleaned_chapter_path, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
f.writelines(new_lines)

write_to_console(f"FFMeta cleaned and saved as '{cleaned_chapter_path}'.")

except Exception as e:
write_to_console(f"Error cleaning FFMeta: {str(e)}")

def open_chapter_settings():
global chapter_settings_window, chapter_action_var
global chapter_keep_empty_checkbox, chapter_save_button

chapter_settings_window = tk.Toplevel(root)
chapter_settings_window.title(texts[current_language]["chapter_setting_title"])
chapter_settings_window.geometry("300x250")
chapter_settings_window.resizable(False, False)

chapter_action_var = tk.StringVar(value=config.get("chapter_action", "clean"))
chapter_keep_empty_var = tk.BooleanVar(value=config.get("chapter_keep_empty", False))

tk.Label(
chapter_settings_window,
text=texts[current_language]["chapter_setting_choose_option"]
).pack(pady=(10, 5))

tk.Radiobutton(
chapter_settings_window,
text=texts[current_language]["chapter_setting_clean"],
variable=chapter_action_var,
value="clean"
).pack(pady=5)

tk.Radiobutton(
chapter_settings_window,
text=texts[current_language]["chapter_setting_number"],
variable=chapter_action_var,
value="number"
).pack(pady=5)

chapter_keep_empty_checkbox = tk.Checkbutton(
chapter_settings_window,
text=texts[current_language]["chapter_setting_keep_empty"],
variable=chapter_keep_empty_var
)
chapter_keep_empty_checkbox.pack(pady=5)

chapter_save_button = tk.Button(
chapter_settings_window,
text=texts[current_language]["chapter_setting_save"],
command=lambda: save_chapter_settings(chapter_keep_empty_var, chapter_settings_window)
)
chapter_save_button.pack(pady=10)

def save_chapter_settings(keep_empty_var, window):
config["chapter_action"] = chapter_action_var.get()
config["chapter_keep_empty"] = keep_empty_var.get()
save_config()
write_to_console(f"Chapter settings saved: Action={config['chapter_action']}, Keep empty={config['chapter_keep_empty']}")
window.destroy()

options_menu = tk.Menu(menu, tearoff=0)
options_menu.add_command(label="Check pip-ffmpeg", command=check_pip_ffmpeg)
options_menu.add_command(label=texts[current_language]["menu_chapter_settings"], command=open_chapter_settings)
menu.add_cascade(label="Options", menu=options_menu)

btn3 = tk.Button(btn_frame, text="3. Clean FFMeta", command=clean_ffmeta)
btn3.grid(row=0, column=2, padx=5)


Here you find the entire project code of the entire project: https://www.pythonmorsels.com/p/32hkh/

Why is the clean_chapters function not working?

Continue reading...