Exploring Expect A Tcl-based Toolkit for Automating Interactive Programs

610 Pages·1994·20.14 MB·English

by  Don Libes

A Tel-based Toolkit for Automating Interactive Programs
O'REILLY·
Don Libes
UNIX programming/System Administr:nion
O'REILLY~
Exploring Expect
Expect is quickly becoming a pan of cvely UNIX user'S toolbox. It allows you to
:1ll(Orn:!le tclnet, ftp, pass\vd, rlogin, and hundreds of other applications that normally
require human interaction, Using Expect to automate these applications will :lllow
you to speed up tasks and, in m:llly cases, solve new problems that you never would
have even considered before.
For example, YOll can usc Expeci 10 lest inler.lctive programs with no changes to their interi"<lces.
Or, you can wrap interactive programs with Motif-like front-ends to control applications by bllllons,
scrollbars, and Olher graphic clements with no recompilation of the original programs. You don't
even need Ihe source code! Expect works with remOle applications, too. Usc il to tic logether
Inlernet applications including Iclnet, Archie, ftp, Gopher. and Mosaic.
Don Libes is the creator of Expect :IS well as the :Iuthor of this book. In E,p/on'lIg E.'1JCCI. he
provides a comprehensive IUtori,ll on ;Ill of Expect's features, allowing you to put it immediately to
work on your problems. [n a down-to-eanh and humorous style, he presents numerous examples
of challenging real-wodd applications and how they can be automated using Expect to save you
time and money.
Expeci is the tlrst of a new breed of progrJms based on Tcl. the Tool Comm:llld Language thai is
rocking the computer science community. 111is book provides an introduction to Td and describes
how Expect applies Td's pmver to the ncw tleld of interaction :lutomation. \'('hether your interest is
in Expect or inter.Ktion :Lutom:llion or you simply want to le:!fI1 about 'I'd and sec how it h:ls been
used in real software, you will lind £'1)/01';11& Expeci a treasure trove of easy-to-understand and
valuable information.
HExpe(;1 was IIJe firsl widely used Tel llpplicalloll, and if is slill olle of Ibe most popular. Tbis
is a lI/ust-klloW tool for system adlllillisiralors alld mally olbers."
- John Ouslcriloul, creator oJ Tel
"Expecl is fill absolulely wOlldelflll, marlJelolis progralll. II is olle Of Ibe mosl IIseful lools
I've seell ill 15+ years of UNIX backing. Expect is goillg 10 save liS several tbousallr! dol/aI'S
in licensing fees ill Ibe nexl year alolle, sOll/e illeslill/able n/.lluber Of programmillg bours,
and allow IlS 10 protJide 0111' Ilsers lIlucb betler service (ball we olberwise cOl/ld b(we.
U
- John W. I'kr<:e, DelmrllllClI1 of C/)ClIliSlry lIIllI JJiOC/)ClIlisIIJ'
Ulli/Jer.~ily oj Califorllia, Stili Diego
"" is (I lIlysle'J' 10 lIle bow UNIX could bmJe exisled for years wi/bolll E.'1)ecl."
-Erik Basilier. Motorola
www.oreilly.com
US $34.95 CAN $52.95
ISBN: 976-1-56592-090-3
1IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIilIII
9 781565920903
''I'm really impressed with how functional my software has become because of Expect.
Thanks for a wonderful program!!!!!!"
-John Conti, Cisco Systems
"Expect has become a necessary tool for system administration.
In a short time, we have used Expect in six areas and have cut out
seven hours a week in tedious and repetitive tasks."
- Thomas Naughton, Hull Trading Company
"I'd been using Expect for automating various grubby day-to-day system tasks
for a long time. During the procurement for EPA's supercomputer, we found that
we needed a portable way to quantify interactive response time for the benchmark.
Using Expect we were able to 'drive' the standard vi editor to produce an average
of seconds/command keystroke."
-Frank Terhaar-Yonkers, Martin Marietta Technical Services/U.S. EPA
"Thanks for Expect. It just made an impossible project possible."
-Bruce Barnett, GE Corporate Research and Development Center
"My Expect scripts function perfectly.
The original problem defeated several people here
(including those much more expert in Unix than myself),
so it is a relief to have found such a simple solution."
-Richard Gartner, Bodleian Library, Oxford University, United Kingdom
"Expect is great! We at DEC have to go through fip-gateways to get to the real world.
I've written an Expect script that is easier and more reliable than
a previously cobbled together system using perl -> mail -> perl -> kermit.
The whole thing is now one small Expect script."
-Rob Urban, Migration Consultant, Digital Equipment GmbH, Munich, Germany
"Thank you so much!!! Expect is not only a timesaver but a lifesaver, too!"
-Stephen Campos, University of Texas at Austin
"Thanks to Expect, we've solved many problems that would have otherwise needed
a lot of programming-meaning we would not have had time to do them!"
-Pekka KytOlaakso, Centre for Scientific Computing, Espoo, Finland
"I'm changing passwords on over 600 hosts, and BOY! am I glad that Expect's
passmass script exists! Now there's an indispensable tool!"
- Win Bent, University Compo Services, University of Southern California
"Expect is a lifesaver for a project that I am currently involved with.
I have only been working with Expect for the last couple of days,
but it has already shaved about 6 months off of the completion time of the project."
-Ron Young, System Computing Services, University of Nevada
"Thanks for making my life easier.
This program has really helped me shorten the cycle time
for software Q.A. Expect is like a dream come true for automation.
My productivity has really increased."
Brian F. Woodson, 3Com NSD Software Q.A.
"What I really like about Expect is that it lets you shift in and out of interactive and
automated mode as you are driving programs."
-Lloyd Zusman, Master Byte Software, Inc.
"Expect is exactly what I needed to automate some telnet procedures here at Motorola.
I had been pulling my hair out thinking that there HAD to be a way
to get my shell sCript to work, but you just can't do it.
Luckily somebody in my group clued me in to Expect!"
-Marjorie Cartwright, RISC Design Group, Motorola
"Expect helped me to achieve what I first didn't think possible."
-Rennie Rautenbach, Sabinet, Pretoria, South Africa
Exploring Expect
Other books by Don Libes
Life With UNIX (prentice-Hall, co-author Sandy Ressler)
Obfuscated C and Other Mysteries (Wiley)
Exploring Expect
A Tel-Based Toolkit for Automating Interactive Programs
Don Libes
Q'REILLY®
Beijing· Cambridge· Farnham· K6ln . Paris· Sebastopol· Taipei· Tokyo
Exploring Expect: A Tcl-Based Toolkit for Automating Interactive Programs
by Don Libes
Copyright © 1995 O'Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Editor: Tim O'Reilly
Production Editor: Don Libes
Printing History:
January 1995: First Edition.
April 1995: Minor corrections.
November 1996: Minor corrections.
Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O'Reilly logo are registered
trademarks and The Java Series is a trademark of O'Reilly Media, Inc. Exploring Expect: A Tcl
Based Toolkitfor Automating Interactive Programs, the image of a rhesus monkey, and related
trade dress are trademarks of O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are
claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O'Reilly Media,
Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial
caps.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes
no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the
information contained herein.
RepKover" '"
~ This book uses Rep Kover , a durable and flexible lay-flat binding.
ISBN13: 978-1-565-92090-3
[M] [4/08]
To Sue