Re: [SLUG] Using Xterms in Shell Scripts

[Julio Cesar Ody <julioody@xxxxxxxxx>]

> What if $USER doesn't have [X|K|G|*]dialog? or has moved or nuked it?
> [$USER is capable of _anything_.]

He's likely to have xmessage. The man page illustrates some of the
stuff you can do using buttons and some other widgets. Never used
these other widgets though...





On 8/17/05, Robert Thorsby <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I've knocked out a bash script that uses dialog boxes (Xdialog in this
> case) to pass arguments to a perfectly good command line utility. The
> idea is that a rodent-fixated $USER can satisfy his fetish by clicking
> on a Desktop Icon. [Desktop Icons are those tiny graphic thingies that
> live under xterms and deface your Megan Gale wallpaper.]
> 
> Having punched out said script I suddenly had a Thought. [A Thought is
> an explosion in the brain that turns very tired hackers into
> insomniacs.]
> 
> What if $USER doesn't have [X|K|G|*]dialog? or has moved or nuked it?
> [$USER is capable of _anything_.]
> 
> My first idea -- to add another dialog box into the script -- seemed to
> cause a loop. So ..., why not use an xterm? But the "-e" option to
> xterm seems to have very limited functionality. If I pass a message to
> an ad hoc xterm it closes immediately because the "-e" option is
> explicitly designed to terminate the xterm when the command has been
> executed. Also, "-e" won't allow more than one command -- a
> "restricted" xterm!? Further, the man page for xterm seems to give just
> about every option known to mankind, except the one I want.
> 
> My "solution", which follows, is a total kludge:
> >>>>>>>>>>>> BEGIN SCRIPT SNIPPET <<<<<<<<<<<<
> 
> #!/bin/bash
> ...
> TITLE="My Bash Wrapper Script"
> XDIAL="/path/to/Xdialog"
> ...
> if [ ! -x "$XDIAL" ]; then
>      cat <<- EOF > "/tmp/emergency_script"
>         #!/bin/bash
> 
>         echo "      $TITLE"
>         echo "I can't find the bloody Xdialog file?"
>         echo "It may be a permissions problem."
>         sleep 3
>         EOF
>      chmod 700 "/tmp/emergency_script"
>      xterm -ut +l +ls +bc -font 10x20 -geometry 40x4 -title "$TITLE" \
>          -mesg -e "/tmp/emergency_script"
>      rm "/tmp/emergency_script"
>      exit 1
> fi
> ...
> >>>>>>>>>>>>> END SCRIPT SNIPPET <<<<<<<<<<<<<
> BTW, "emergency_script" still works if the shebang is absent.
> 
> Finally, my question:
> What is the correct way to do this? or a better way? or, even, The
> Debian Way?
> 
> TIA,
> Robert Thorsby
> 
> --
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> 


-- 
Julio C. Ody
http://rootshell.be/~julioody