Libes, D.
(1991),
expect; Scripts for Controlling Interactive Processes, Computing Systems, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=821307
(Accessed April 25, 2024)
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expect; Scripts for Controlling Interactive Processes
Published
Author(s)
Abstract
Contemporary shells provide only minimal control (starting, stopping, etc.) over programs, leaving interaction up to users. This means that you cannot run some program non- interactively, such as passwd. Some programs can be run non-interactively, but only with a loss of flexibility, such as fsck. This is where the tool-building philosophy of UNIX begins to break down. expect crosses this line, solving a number of long-standing problems in the UNIX environment.expect uses Tcl as a language core. In addition, expect can use any UNIX program, whether or not it is interactive. The result is a classic example of a little language synergistically generating large power when combined with the rest of the UNIX workbench.
Previous papers have described the implementation of expect and compared it to other tools. This paper concentrates on the language, primarily by presenting a variety of scripts. Several scripts demonstrate brand-new features of expect.
Citation
Computing Systems, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA
Volume
4:2
Pub Type
Journals
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Keywords
expect, interaction, POSIX, programmed dialogue, shell, Tcl, UNIX
Citation
Created November 1, 1991, Updated February 17, 2017