[Python] Pulling data from Cisco Wireless Controller

since there is no api support for cisco wireless lan controllers, I am trying to use python to connect via cli and pull the data.

unfortunately cli output from cisco WLC is not well structured. I cannot use ansible at this point as I only have win10 LAB equipment.

this is the data that I am pulling from controller.



I am using netmiko library to pull the data and put into dictionary so I can manipulate and access however it is not working as intended.

from netmiko import ConnectHandler
from netmiko import ConnectHandler, exceptions
import re

device= {
'device_type': 'cisco_wlc_ssh',
'ip': 'redacted',
'username': 'redacted',
'password': 'redacted',
'port' : 22,
"session_log":r'D:\Python Projects\Netmiko\WifiCLI\Netmiko_session_GNR_log',
"session_log_file_mode": "append"
}

try:
connect = ConnectHandler(**device)
show_netuser_sum = connect.send_command("show netuser summary", expect_string=f'y/n')
show_netuser_sum += connect.send_command_timing("y")
show_netuser_sum = show_netuser_sum.strip().split("\n")
except (exceptions.ReadTimeout) as e:
connect = ConnectHandler(**device)
show_netuser_sum = connect.send_command("show netuser summary")
show_netuser_sum = show_netuser_sum.strip().split("\n")

header_line = show_netuser_sum[3]
data_lines = show_netuser_sum[5:]

headers = re.split(r'\s{2,}', header_line.strip())

# Extract data
data = []
for line in data_lines:
# Split the line based on multiple spaces
split_line = re.split(r'\s{2,}', line.strip())

if len(split_line) > len(headers):
split_line[1] = ' '.join(split_line[1:3])
split_line.pop(2)
if len(split_line) > len(headers):
split_line[3] = ' '.join(split_line[3:])
split_line = split_line[:len(headers)]

if len(split_line) < len(headers):
split_line.insert(3, '')

row_data = dict(zip(headers, split_line))
data.append(row_data)

# Print the structured data
for row in data:
print(row)


unfortunately the output is still messy

as you see, lifetime and description is mixing up. I have 13 rows of users and some of them is coming up like that (like user bcook and its lifetime/description)

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