Run terminal commands

[Angelk90]

Hi @okwasniewski, It would be useful to be able to execute terminal-type commands, like this one here:

const { exec } = require("child_process");

...
          exec("ls -la", (error, stdout, stderr) => {
            if (error) {
                console.log(`error: ${error.message}`);
                return;
            }
            if (stderr) {
                console.log(`stderr: ${stderr}`);
                return;
            }
            console.log(`stdout: ${stdout}`);
        });

So I thought it would be useful to adopt a server solution like this: https://testableapple.com/gaining-access-to-command-line-from-maestro/

[okwasniewski]

Hey, so according to this stackoverflow thread you can use this library to achive it in React Native. However this is way out of scope for react-native-menubar-extra library, therefore I'm closing this issue.

[Angelk90]

@okwasniewski : I tried to make it work, but I couldn't.

import {spawn, kill} from 'react-native-childprocess'

  useEffect(() => {
    const fetchData = async () => {
      cmdID = await spawn('/sbin/ping', ['google.com'], {
          pwd: "/",
          stdout: (output) => {
              console.log('>>>', output)
          }
      });
      console.log(cmdID)
    }
  
    fetchData()
      .catch(console.error);
  }, [])

[okwasniewski]

It works for me did you ran pod install after installing this library?

[Angelk90]

@okwasniewski : it stops working.

[okwasniewski]

You need to clean up the old build. Inside macos folder run rm -rf Pods build and then install pods again (pod install)

[Angelk90]

@okwasniewski : I don't understand why it's always macos from all these problems.

the first time it was worth:
console.log('o:', cmdID);
then changed it by saving it, then it updated:
console.log('oo:', cmdID);
I tried this:

useEffect(() => {
    let cmdID;
    const shell = async () => {
      cmdID = await spawn('pwd', ['-LP'], {
        pwd: '/Users',
        stdout: (output) => {
          console.log('stdout:', output);
        },
        stderr: (output) => {
          console.log('stderr:', output);
        },
        terminate: (output) => {
          console.log('terminate:', output);
        },
      });
      console.log('oo:', cmdID);
    };

    shell().catch(console.error);
    return () => {
      console.log("kill")
      kill(cmdID);
    };
  }, []);

But the command written this way seems to work well, I get this:

 LOG  o: -1
 LOG  kill
 LOG  [Error: invalid cmdID]
 LOG  oo: -1

[Saadnajmi]

See my explanation here: microsoft/react-native-macos#1937 (comment)

It's not currently possible to run arbitrary node native modules with React Native macOS, as they have two completely separate methods of JS->Native (C++) communication.

[okwasniewski]

@Saadnajmi The solution for this particular issue would be to create an RN Macos library that would wrap another native library to execute shell commands like https://github.com/JohnSundell/ShellOut right?

[Saadnajmi]

@Saadnajmi The solution for this particular issue would be to create an RN Macos library that would wrap another native library to execute shell commands like https://github.com/JohnSundell/ShellOut right?

Yep, unless the other project I mentioned lands and we can get all node native modules to "just work" with react native macOS (while using Hermes). But you know, that's a ways away I think, and writing your own native module OS the way to go IMO

[Angelk90]

@okwasniewski , @Saadnajmi : Maybe I managed to do something, I replied on react-native-macos.