Computer Science
RUNSCRIPT(1) RUNSCRIPT(1)
NAME
runscript - script interpreter for minicom
SYNOPSIS
runscript scriptname [homedir]
DESCRIPTION
runscript is a simple script interpreter that can be
called from within the minicom communications program to
automate tasks like logging in to a unix system or your
favorite bbs.
INVOCATION
The program expects a script name and optionally the
user's home directory as arguments, and it expects that
it's input and output are connected to the "remote end",
the system you are connecting to. All messages from run-
script ment for the local screen are directed to the
stderr output. All this is automatically taken care of if
you run it from minicom. The home directory parameter is
only used to tell the log command where to write the log-
file, and if it is not given, runscript uses the directory
found in the $HOME environment variable.
KEYWORDS
Runscript recognizes the following commands:
expect send goto gosub return !
exit print set inc dec if
timeout verbose sleep break call log
OVERVIEW OF KEYWORDS
send <string>
<string> is sent to the modem. It is followed by a
'\r'. <string> can be:
- regular text, eg 'send hello'
- text enclosed in quotes, eg 'send "hello world"'
Within <string> the following sequences are recog-
nized:
\n - newline
\r - carriage return
\a - bell
\b - backspace
\c - don't send the default '\r'.
\f - formfeed
\o - send character o (o is an octal number)
Also $(environment_variable) can be used, for example
$(TERM). Minicom passes three special environment
variables: $(LOGIN), which is the username, $(PASS),
which is the password, as defined in the proper entry
of the dialing directory, and $(TERMLIN) which is the
number of actual terminal lines on your screen (that
is, the statusline excluded).
print <string>
Prints <string> to the local screen. Default followed
by '\r\n'. See the description of 'send' above.
label:
Declares a label (with the name 'label') to use with
goto or gosub.
goto <label>
Jump to another place in the program.
gosub <label>
Jumps to another place in the program. When the
statement 'return' is encountered, control returns to
the statement after the gosub. Gosub's can be
nested.
return
Return from a gosub.
! <command>
Runs a shell for you in which 'command' is executed.
On return, the variable '$?' is set to the exit sta-
tus of this command, so you can subsequently test it
using 'if'.
exit [value]
Exit from "runscript" with an optional exit status.
(default 1)
set <variable> <value>
Sets the value of <variable> (which is a single let-
ter a-z) to the value <value>. If <variable> does not
exist, it will be created. <value> can be a integer
value or another variable.
inc <variable>
Increments the value of <variable> by one.
dec <variable>
Decrements the value of <variable> by one.
if <value> <operator> <value> <statement>
Conditional execution of <statement>. <operator> can
be <, >, != or =. Eg, 'if a > 3 goto exitlabel'.
timeout <value>
Sets the global timeout. By default, 'runscript' will
exit after 120 seconds. This can be changed with this
command. Warning: this command acts differently
within an 'expect' statement, but more about that
later.
verbose <on|off>
By default, this is 'on'. That means that anything
that is being read from the modem by 'runscript',
gets echoed to the screen. This is so that you can
see what 'runscript' is doing.
sleep <value>
Suspend execution for <value> seconds.
expect
expect {
pattern [statement]
pattern [statement]
[timeout <value> [statement] ]
....
}
The most important command of all. Expect keeps read-
ing from the input until it reads a pattern that
matches one of the specified ones. If expect encoun-
ters an optional statement after that pattern, it
will execute it. Otherwise the default is to just
break out of the expect. 'pattern' is a string, just
as in 'send' (see above). Normally, expect will
timeout in 60 seconds and just exit, but this can be
changed with the timeout command.
break
Break out of an 'expect' statement. This is normally
only useful as argument to 'timeout' within an
expect, because the default action of timeout is to
exit immediately.
call <scriptname>
Transfers control to another scriptfile. When that
scriptfile finishes without errors, the original
script will continue.
log <text>
Write text to the logfile.
NOTES
If you want to make your script to exit minicom (for exam-
ple when you use minicom to dial up your ISP, and then
start a ppp or slip session from a script), try the com-
mand "! killall -9 minicom" as the last script command.
The -9 option should prevent minicom from hanging up the
line and resetting the modem before exiting.
Well, I don't think this is enough information to make you
an experienced 'programmer' in 'runscript', but together
with the examples it shouldn't be too hard to write some
useful script files. Things will be easier if you have
experience with BASIC. The minicom source code comes
together with two example scripts, scriptdemo and unixlo-
gin. Especially the last one is a good base to build on
for your own scripts.
BUGS
Runscript should be built in to minicom.
AUTHOR
Miquel van Smoorenburg, <miquels@drinkel.ow.org> Jukka
Lahtinen, <walker@clinet.fi>
User's Manual 3 Sep 1998 1
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