[SOLVED] How to execute bash script upon entering a certain directory.

froziii · 11-25-2016, 12:46 AM

I have a bash script that displays a pop-up to the user and I would like the script to run when a user opens a certain directory. They would enter it via GUI by the way.

pan64 · 11-25-2016, 12:49 AM

looks like you need to modify the application they use. But what will happen with other apps and/or command line usage?
By the way what os/display manager/gui/app is it?

froziii · 11-25-2016, 01:36 AM

I just have my own virtual ftp server on ubuntu I made because I haven't made one before, so I just wanted to learn

Then I learned how to make a bash script for printing stuff in a welcome message etc. Then I made a script that display a pop-up using zenity, it also saves the user input in a variable and then some other stuff happens. I just want to know if there is a way to have the script execute upon entering a that certain directory or if there is some other way this could be done :s

syg00 · 11-25-2016, 01:39 AM

Have a look at inotify-tools

keefaz · 11-25-2016, 07:35 AM

Create the script and change its icon to a generic directory one?

michaelk · 11-25-2016, 09:04 AM

You did not provide any information on the GUI but I assume it is a regular ftp client. Assuming that the GUI would read the contents of the directory then inotify would detect that event and therefore run a script. However, the script will not run within the GUI and is a separate process. As suggested you would need to modify both the server and client. I do not know an easy way this could be accomplished.

froziii · 11-25-2016, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keefaz

Create the script and change its icon to a generic directory one?

Yeah but I want the person to get into an actual directory, i just want my script to execute when he goes into it, if i make the script look like a folder, even if it executes he still won't get into the folder now will he, i could add a 'enter the folder' line at the end of the script, but that would only affect terminal, it wouldn't actually take him inside the file.

rtmistler · 11-25-2016, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by froziii

Yeah but I want the person to get into an actual directory, i just want my script to execute when he goes into it, if i make the script look like a folder, even if it executes he still won't get into the folder now will he, i could add a 'enter the folder' line at the end of the script, but that would only affect terminal, it wouldn't actually take him inside the file.

I do not believe you can perform this functionality normally under Windows, MAC, or Linux. I suspect that you'd have to modify the UI File Manager which the operator is using.

keefaz · 11-25-2016, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by froziii

Yeah but I want the person to get into an actual directory, i just want my script to execute when he goes into it, if i make the script look like a folder, even if it executes he still won't get into the folder now will he, i could add a 'enter the folder' line at the end of the script, but that would only affect terminal, it wouldn't actually take him inside the file.

You could open a new file browser window within the script at last line (ex with thunar):

Code:

exec thunar /path/to/real/directory

michaelk · 11-25-2016, 12:35 PM

What is gui application?

froziii · 11-25-2016, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

What is gui application?

Just normal Ubuntu GUI, you know

Sorry if I'm not using the correct term here :s

pan64 · 11-25-2016, 01:08 PM

no I'm sorry but that does not exist (or all of them are normal). So it does not really help us to go forward. You may say the default one, that is probably unity, but it is still a graphical desktop, not an application.
If you don't know the name try to explain how did you start it, how did you use it at all.

wpeckham · 11-25-2016, 01:29 PM

Many FTP servers have the option to look for a file with a specific name in the directory and display that file. It do not remember any that have a setting to EXECUTE a file, but you should be checking the man pages for your SERVER application (vsftp?) for detail on what it can do under these circumstances.

michaelk · 11-26-2016, 07:56 AM

Executing an arbitrary script on a server from a FTP client would be a huge security risk. That is not going to happen. If the OP is using a file browser then with inotify you could trigger the script. It is unclear what the OP is actually trying to accomplish.

froziii · 11-26-2016, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

Executing an arbitrary script on a server from a FTP client would be a huge security risk. That is not going to happen. If the OP is using a file browser then with inotify you could trigger the script. It is unclear what the OP is actually trying to accomplish.

I'm just doing this to learn, security doesn't matter in this case. And by the GUI, if you were to go to ubuntus site and download the newest desktop version of ubuntu, install it and boot it, that is the GUI I am talking about, the 'default one', the default graphical desktop :s