How can I communicate with an application that does not return to the command prompt? - perl

I need to build a test bench by sending appropriate inputs to an application. However,
once I launch the application, it takes control and does not return to the command
prompt (unless an exit command is executed from the application). In that case
is there any technique by which I can send a command to that application from the Perl
script and interpret the output from that application?
My operating system is Windows.

If it's a GUI application, take a look at the Win32::GuiTest module. It sends events to GUI applications - simulating user input.
For a command line application, I would normally recommend the Expect module. Unfortunately, Expect doesn't work under Windows.

If there is anyway to write or redirect the application output to a file, you can always open that file to process/interpret the output. If you are talking about a command-line application, it should be easy to redirect the terminal output to a file using the '>' and '>>' characters. It may not be as easy with a GUI app, though.

Related

Running a gui app with Powershell without displaying the gui

I want to run an app (it does not natively support command line mode) on Windows that require 5 fields of generic data from a user. However, I want to run this app without opening/displaying the gui (a la command line like). Is this something that can be done with Powershell. If so, can someone point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance
PowerShell does not change how an application is executed versus how it is when executed at the command line or a run dialog. If the application can accept input via arguments when run then any of these methods for executing the application will work.
If you are asking if powershell can read from the console host, the appropriate cmdlet would be read-host. So you could read from the user and then run the command with the arguments you desire.
$user = read-host "Username:"
& examplecommand.exe $user

Opening a file in a Metro app from command line

I need a way to open a file in a Metro app from command line.
So far I've figured out how to start the app from command line without any third-party scripts
explorer shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Reader
but I haven't been able to figure out how to include a file name yet.
Launching
explorer shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Reader example.pdf
just opens up a default explorer window.
Any idea from Windows 8 experts on how to accomplish this without any third-party tools/cmdlets/etc.?
Note: In fact I'm using Windows 10 but I guess if there's a Windows 8 / 8.1 way to do it, it'll work for 10, too.
If you're still looking for the answer, the best way to open a file in a metro app is to use an execution string like a normal app protocol does. The execution string looks like this:
bingnews:[arguments, can be left blank.]
microsoftvideo:[arguments, can be left blank.]
netflix:[arguments, can be left blank.]
So, to start up netflix, it's as simple as typing in Start netflix: into the command line.
To find the execution string for an app, go here: Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs\Set Associations
More info and examples can be found here.
http://windowsitpro.com/windows-8/opening-windows-8-apps-command-prompt-or-script
http://www.itsjustwhatever.com/2012/10/28/launch-windows-8-metro-apps-from-a-desktop-shortcut-or-command-line/
PLEASE NOTE: To open an app WITHOUT A PROTOCOL (One not listed in the registry or under "Set Associations") use OP's method:
explorer shell:AppsFolder\[appuid]![appfullname]
The app UID is the folder name without the version number. For example,
4DF9E0F8.Netflix_2.11.0.8_x64__mcm4njqhnhss8
becomes
4DF9E0F8.Netflix_mcm4njqhnhss8
The app fullname is the [App author].[App name] For example, 4DF9E0F8.Netflix. 4DF9E0F8 is the author, and Netflix is the name.
Put it all together to get
explorer shell:AppsFolder\4DF9E0F8.Netflix_mcm4njqhnhss8!4DF9E0F8.Netflix
Store Apps can only be started by the shell. So try this:
explorer.exe shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
Or from run (Win+R):
shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsAlarms_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App
If the app is the default handler then you can just launch the file or protocol. There isn't a good in-box way to launch a file into a non-default handler from the command line.
Windows Store apps aren't designed to run from the command line and there isn't a straightforward way to launch them from the command line. Apps which handle specific files or protocols receive them through FileActivatedEventArgs or ProtocolActivatedEventArgs rather than command line arguments
You could write a launcher app which uses CLSID_ApplicationActivationManager's IApplicationActivationManager to ActivateForFile a specific app.
The best way I've found to pass command-line arguments to the executable targeted by the shell command is via the Windows start command.
Using your example, you would end up with this:
start "" shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.Reader_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Microsoft.Reader example.pdf
I don't have Microsoft.Reader installed, so I can't test that. However, I can verify that this pattern works with Windows Terminal. In this case, I pass it a command-line argument to tell it which profile I want to open.
start "" shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App new-tab -p "GitBash"
The first argument to the start command here — the empty string — is just the title of the window.
You can also pair this with cmd /c, which I've found is necessary for some launcher applications, such as my personal favorite, SlickRun:
cmd /c start "" shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.WindowsTerminal_8wekyb3d8bbwe!App new-tab -p "GitBash"
I have a blog post with more info on running Modern apps from the command line, which you might find helpful in constructing these ridiculously obtuse commands.
Not sure if it works on Windows 8, but on Windows 10 I use this:
cmd /C start <app-name>:
For example, to start Slack:
cmd /C start slack:

Perl command-line based script, running it on a website?

I have a Perl script that works perfectly when I run it from my command prompt. But when I upload it to the cgi-bin folder on my website, it doesn't work. Is there a special format it needs to be or something? I'm totally new to Perl.
Also note: the test hello page Perl script works.
When you run your perl script under cgi (which you indicated is working), the query is passed to your script as STDIN, and the output of your script is sent to the browser.
There will not be a prompt, or anything like that, you need something else (such as a web page) to prompt the user for anything you need and submit it to your script.
The next page on from Bill's link (http://www.lies.com/begperl/form_to_email.html) deals with this.

Can I use AutoIT, running as a service on a server, using the send function

I'm trying to trigger Illustrator javascripts through the use of AutoIT and its send function. AutoIT is invoked via a Perl script and it works when I have Illustrator open and I run the Perl script from the command line. (The Perl script runs in a continuous loop, triggered by files arriving in a hot folder.) It runs on a server when I have an active connection. However, when I disconnect, keeping the session alive, the autoIT process does not work. (I'm guessing it is because I'm using the send function which requires an active window.)
This is running on a Windows 2003 server.
Is this possible to do or am I farting in the wind.
Thanks in advance.
CODE:
Run("C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Illustrator CS6\Support Files\Contents\Windows\Illustrator.exe")
WinActivate("Adobe Illustrator CS6")
sleep (3000)
Send("!f")
Send("{DOWN 17}")
Send("{RIGHT 2}")
Send("{ENTER}")
Here is some documentation on the Send() function in AutoIT. Also if you look near the bottom of the page after the key examples you can see that it also recommends trying to use ControlSend: http://www.autoitscript.com/autoit3/docs/functions/Send.htm

Executing a commandline from JConsole

I've recently discovered the joy of going through JConsole.exe instead of J.exe to run various scripts. There's generally a noticeable performance gain.
However, sometimes I need to use wd winexec (calling ad-hoc programs for example) and in the console, 11!:0 (wd) support is not available.
Is there a way to send a command from JConsole.exe to the regular Windows command line interpreter? Or maybe a workaround?
You might try the task script. See the script itself for documentation.
J6: ~system/packages/misc/task.ijs',
J7: ~system/main/task.ijs
It contains utilities such as fork_jtask_, spawn_jtask_, shell_jtask_
You can load the script in both versions using: require 'task'