Sending commands and strings to Terminal.app with Applescript

Question

Hi, I want to do something like this:

tell application "Terminal"
  activate
  do script "ssh [email protected]"
  -- // write user's password
  -- // write some linux commands to remote server
end tell

For example to log in to the server, enter the password, and then login to mysql and select a DB.
I type that every day and it would be really helpful to bundle it into a script.

Also, is there a reference of what commands, properties, functions, etc. do applications (Terminal, Finder, etc) have available to use within Applescript? thanks!

EDIT: Let me clear this up: I don't want to do several 'do script' as I tried and doesn't work. I want to open a Terminal window, and then emulate a human typing in some characters and hitting enter. Could be passwords, could be commands, whatever, just sending chars to the Terminal which happens to be running ssh. I tried keystroke and doesn't seem to work.

Answer 1

This is straight out of the help for Terminal:

To view Terminal’s AppleScript dictionary:

Drag the Terminal icon onto the Script Editor icon, located in the AppleScript folder in the Applications folder

Works for me. I opened the Applications/Utilities folder in Finder and dragged the Terminal icon from there. Works the same for other apps.

Answer 2

I could be mistaken, but I think Applescript Terminal integration is a one-shot deal...That is, each do script call is like opening a different terminal window, so I don't think you can interact with it at all.

You could copy over the SSH public keys to prevent the password prompt, then execute all the commands joined together (warning: the following is totally untested):

tell application "Terminal"
    activate
    do script "ssh [email protected] '/home/jdoe/dosomestuff.sh && /home/jdoe/dosomemorestuff.sh'"
end tell

Alternatively, you could wrap the ssh and subsequent commands in a shell script using Expect, and then call said shell script from your Applescript.

Answer 3

set up passwordless ssh (ssh-keygen, then add the key to ~/.ssh/authorized_keys on the server). Make an entry in ~/.ssh/config (on your desktop), so that when you run ssh mysqlserver, it goes to user@hostname... Or make a shell alias, like gotosql, that expands to ssh user@host -t 'mysql_client ...' to start the mysql client interactively on the server.

Then you probably do need someone else's answer to script the process after that, since I don't know how to set startup commands for mysql.

At least that keeps your ssh password out of the script!

Answer 4

As EvanK stated each do script line will open a new window however you can run
two commands with the same do script by separating them with a semicolon. For example:

tell application "Terminal"
    do script "date;time"
end tell

But the limit appears to be two commands.

However, you can append "in window 1" to the do script command (for every do script after the first one) to get the same effect and continue to run as many commands as you need to in the same window:

tell application "Terminal"
    do script "date"
    do script "time" in window 1
    do script "who" in window 1
end tell

Note that I just used the who, date, and time command as an example...replace with whatever commands you need.

Answer 5

Petruza,

Instead of using keystroke use key code.
The following example should work for you.

tell application "System Events"
    tell application process "Terminal"
     set frontmost to true
     key code {2, 0, 17, 14}
     keystroke return
    end tell
end tell

The above example will send the characters {d a t e} to Terminal and then
keystroke return will enter and run the command. Use the above example
with whatever key codes you need and you'll be able to do what you're trying to do.

Answer 6

what about something like this:

tell application "Terminal"

activate
do shell script "sudo dscl localhost -create /Local/Default/Hosts/cc.josmoe.com IPAddress 127.0.0.1"
do shell script "sudo dscl localhost -create /Local/Default/Hosts/cc.josmos2.com IPAddress 127.0.0.1"

end tell

Answer 7

to send multiple commands to the same shell window:

tell application "Terminal"
  set currentTab to do script "echo do something"
  do script "echo do something else" in currentTab
  do script "echo do more" in currentTab
end tell