How to make a script that opens terminal and runs the executable

terminal

My students and I are using gcc to compile programs which ask a series of questions then display a result. Right now if we are running a program called "main" for example, we have to open a terminal window then type:
./Programs/main

We would like to be able to distribute these to other students who don't know how to use the terminal, so that they can just double-click on a file.

I have tried to create a .command or .sh file that does this, but they will do "exit;" before the program can get input. I also tried to use Automator, but this also exits before the program can get input.

Best Answer

When you double-click a .command file, Terminal.app will open, and execute /path/to/file.command ; exit; which means it will execute the content of the file.command script, and THEN exit.

If your Terminal is exiting before your executable can receive input, that seems to indicate that either your .command is not calling your executable correctly, or your executable somehow doesn't wait to receive input before exiting.

To be able to help you further, you'd need to provide an example .c/.cpp file to compile, and the content of your .command file.

I myself tried with a .command file that contains only:

$HOME/Downloads/go.sh

And I was able to ask for input in go.sh (using read -p) before the Terminal exited.

Related Solutions

MacOS – Lion Fullscreen Desktop Switching Quirk

I'd recommend not allocating any GUI elements until after the command line input is finished.

If you run your app from a non-fullscreen Terminal, you'll probably notice that the app launches in the Dock (even if no windows appear) before you finish entering your command line stuff. This is probably what's causing the Space-switch.

MacOS – terminal -bash: command not found

Modify the file .bash_profile with nano or another appropriate editor:

Replace:

export PATH=’/usr/local/bin:?? 
# Setting PATH for Python 2.7
# The orginal version is saved in .bash_profile.pysave
PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH

by:

# Setting PATH for Python 2.7
# The orginal version is saved in .bash_profile.pysave
export PATH=/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:$PATH

Explanation:

The first line of your current .bash_profile

export PATH=’/usr/local/bin:??

modifies the standard value of $PATH given by /etc/paths from

/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

to ’/usr/local/bin:?? - which is no valid path.

The fourth and fifth line of your current .bash_profile modifies $PATH to

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:’/usr/local/bin:??

Since ’/usr/local/bin:? is no valid path the finally effective PATH is

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin

which completely breaks your standard PATH. You can still execute all executables in the above directories but you can't omit the superior directories (e.g. to execute nano you have to enter /usr/bin/nano instead of nano).

Best Answer

Related Solutions

MacOS – Lion Fullscreen Desktop Switching Quirk

MacOS – terminal -bash: command not found

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