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How to Avoid Learning Expect -- or -- Automating Automating Interactive Programs
Published
Author(s)
Don E. Libes
Abstract
Expect is a tool for automating interactive programs. Expect is controlled by writing Tcl scripts, traditionally a manual process. This paper describes Autoexpect -- a tool that generates Expect scripts automatically by watching actual interactions and then writing the appropriate script. Using Autoexpect, it is possible to create Expect scripts without writing any actual Expect statements and without any knowledge of Expect.
Proceedings Title
Proceedings of the Tenth USENIX System Administration Conference (LISA X)
Libes, D.
(1996),
How to Avoid Learning Expect -- or -- Automating Automating Interactive Programs, Proceedings of the Tenth USENIX System Administration Conference (LISA X), Chicago, IL, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=821284
(Accessed October 2, 2025)