Synopsis

What ?

TerminalCommander is an AppleScript library to help excuting shell commnads in Terminal.app. It is easy simple excution of shell commands in Terminal.app by using "do script" command. This libary provides following flexibily to control Terminal.app.

Customizing appearence of terminal to execute shell commands, for example, changing the terminal title and the settings set.
Send next command after completion of previous command.
By following a terminal window, Sending a command to same terminal window.
- An instance of TerminalCommander remenber the terminal send a commnd. From next time, the terminal window is used by "do" and "do_with" command.
- If the terminal window is lost, TerminalCommander can find a terminal window by specified custom title or specified working directory.
- Setting of cwd-tty.sh is required to find a terminal window by specified woking directory. Execute cwd-tty.sh by source command in .zprofile or .bash_profile.

Basic Usage

Basic scirpt using TerminalCommander has following sqeuence.

Make an instance with a instance method of make, make_with_title or make_with_settings.
Set title or name of settints set with set_custom_title and set settings_name. This step is optional
Execute shell commands with do or do_with.
If waiting completion of the shell command is required, use wait_termination.
Execute next shell commands with do or do_with.

use TerminalCommander : script "TerminalCommander"

tell TerminalCommander's make_with_settings("Ocean")

set_custom_title("* Sample Terminal *")

set_execution_string("echo 'This is a new terminal.'")

do("ls -l")

wait_termination(300)

do_with({command:"echo 'You can execute command in the same terminal'", with_activation:false})

end tell

Finding a Terminal by a Woking Directory

If following shell script (cwd-tty.sh) is appended into, ~/.bash_profile or ~/.zprofile, TerminalCommander can find a terminal window of specified working directory.

cwd-tty.sh records correspondance between tty device name and working directory into ~/.cwd-tty file, just before new prompt is displayed.

cwd-tty.sh is placed in the bundle of TerminalCommander. It is recommended to append follwing line into ~/.bash_profile or ~/.zprofile.

source '~/Library/Scripts Libraries/TerminalComannder.scpt/Contents/Resources/cwd-tty.sh'

            
              # cwd-tty.sh
#
# script to mainten a correspondence table between ttyname and
# working directory.
# Insert following line into .zprofile or .bash_profile.
#
#   source path-to-dir/cwd-tty.sh
#

# 2.0 -- 2020-01-09
#   * Added support of zsh

if [[ $TERM_PROGRAM = 'Apple_Terminal' ]] && [[ -z $INSIDE_EMACS ]]; then
  save_cwd() {
    local ttyname=`tty`;
    if [[ ! -e ~/.cwd-tty ]]; then
      echo "$ttyname	$PWD" > ~/.cwd-tty
      return
    fi

    local out=()
    local matched=0
    local LINE
    while read LINE ; do
      newline="${ttyname}	${PWD}"
      case $LINE in
        ${newline})
          return;;
        ${ttyname}"	"*)
            out+=("$newline")
            matched=1;;
        *)
          out+=("$LINE");;
      esac
    done < ~/.cwd-tty

    if [[ $matched -eq 0 ]]; then
      out+=("$ttyname	$PWD")
    fi
    IFS=$'\n'
    echo "${out[*]}" > ~/.cwd-tty
    unset IFS
  }

  if [[ -n $ZSH_VERSION ]]; then
    autoload add-zsh-hook
    add-zsh-hook precmd save_cwd
  else
    PROMPT_COMMAND="save_cwd${PROMPT_COMMAND:+; $PROMPT_COMMAND}"
  fi
fi


            

Set a target woking directory into the instance with set_working_directory to find a terminal by working directory. The instance find a tty devie corresponding specfied working directory from ~/.cwd-tty file.

If an intended terminal widow is not found, shell commands will be executed in a new terminal. It is recommend to set cd command with set_execution_string which is shell commands executed at the beginning of a new terminal.

In the following sample, shell commands are sent to Terminal.app in three times. When the third command is sent, a working directory which is same to directory of the first terminal is specified. Pay attention the third command will be sent to the first terminal.

use TerminalCommander : script "TerminalCommander"

tell (make TerminalCommander) -- first terminal

do("cd /Users")

end tell

tell (make TerminalCommander) -- second terminal

do("echo 'second terminal'")

end tell

delay 1

tell (make TerminalCommander)

set_working_directory("/Users")

set_execution_string("cd /Users") -- executed when new terminal is opened.

do("echo 'Find a terminal by working directory.'") -- this command will be sent to the first terminal.

end tell