[SOLVED] BASH: Can't check if xScreenSaver is running

the98 · 02-26-2011, 09:39 AM

Hi guys, how are you today?

I'm having trouble trying to make a script. What I want to do is check if xScreenSaver is running in my user account. If not, run it. If it's running, kill it. So this is the script I've made:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

if [ -n $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver) ]
  then
	kill $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver) &
	echo "XScreenSaver: Off"
  else
	xscreensaver -no-splash &
	echo "XScreenSaver: On"
fi

The problem is that I've echoed the output of $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver) and it always seems to add 4 numbers to the pid, even if the pid doesn't exist. What do I mean by "doesn't exist"? That no xscreensaver is running in my user, and if I run pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver in bash, I get not output, but if I run the command though the script, I get (for instance) 4050. If I run it again, I get 4054, and again 4058... etc. What the hell is going on with that?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Cheers.

gnashley · 02-26-2011, 09:56 AM

Maybe something like:
if [ -n $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver 2> /dev/null) ]

kill $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver 1> /dev/null 2> /dev/null

the98 · 02-27-2011, 03:26 PM

Great! This solved it. I do have some questions, though...

What does "2 > /dev/null" do in this case and why do we use it twice in the kill command? I've read that "2 > /dev/null" sends errors to /dev/null (STDERR), but I don't think that the output I was getting before were errors...

Anyway, it works, so I'm happy.

Thanks a lot!

PS: This is what the script looks now:

Quote:

#!/bin/bash

if [[ $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver 2> /dev/null) != "" ]]
then
kill $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver 2> /dev/null 2> /dev/null) &
echo "Matando XScreenSaver"
else
xscreensaver -no-splash &
echo "Iniciando XScreenSaver"
fi

Without double [] I had some error and it didn't work properly with -n, so I've change to != ""

gnashley · 02-28-2011, 02:23 AM

That should have been:
kill $(pgrep -u $(whoami) xscreensaver 1> /dev/null 2> /dev/null) &

2> directs any error output and 1> redirects normal output of the command. The pid number that was bothering you comes from '1'. If you run kill on the command line you'll see what I mean.
Also run your pgrep command from the command line -in a case where it succeeds and one where it fails by giving it a false path:

pgrep -u $(whoami) bash ; echo $?

pgrep -u $(whoami) non-existent ; echo $?

The following '; echo $?' shows you the exit status of the command. Since you are using 'if' and test([]), 0(zero) means true and 1(one) means false. Every process you run will return at least $?(exit status) and optionally $1 and/or $2. Remember $1 is standard output, $2 is standard error. Always try the command out from the command line so you can see what is happening both when the command is successful and when not.

the98 · 03-01-2011, 08:05 AM

The thing I've tried the commands on CLI but I had no output. pgrep only had output when I run the script.

Anyway, you've been really helpful. Thanks a lot!