Shell Scripts for Dummies

[wonfuji]

Hi

This all started a week or so ago when I was reading the "Appending to PDF from Container Field" on a Tech Talk thread and a client asked about something that resonated with that thread.

The client has a db table with a container field that references a number of promotional/training PDFs on their server.

They would like to eMail from Filemaker (v10 on Macs) to a client and attach a single PDF file that contains merged/appended PDFs that they feel would be useful for the client.

We can get all the PDF names into a simple portal. They can then check off the PDFs that they require. With 20 or more PDF choices there are a lot of possibilities.

We can then search for the requested PDFs (unchecking when found) and do a loop to export field contents to the temp directory. The PDFs are named PDF1, PDF2 etc.

We can then to a SaveAsPDF to create a cover page with client info and a list of the "attached" PDFs - actually merged/appended - name is "Cover.pdf".

So now we have everything that now they require merging.

This little utility does that JoinPDF - http://freshmeat.net/projects/joinpdf/

It requires an OS install but does as advertised.

This command in Terminal:

joinPDF /Users/stephen/Desktop/PDF_Follies/joined.pdf /Users/stephen/Desktop/PDF_Follies/PDF_Five.pdf /Users/stephen/Desktop/PDF_Follies/PDF_Four.pdf /Users/stephen/Desktop/PDF_Follies/PDF_One.pdf

will merge, in order, PDF_Five then PDF_Four then PDF_One into Joined.pdf. Great.

I found how to save this as shell script and can even run it in Terminal. And it works.

This is where the trouble starts.

1. I would like to execute the shell script from Filemaker.

2. I would like to be able to dynamically build the code in Filemaker and then have it run in the shell.

3. My Unix skills barely extend past "ls -l", actually they don't go past.

360Works Scriptmaster runs shell scripts but I am absolutely clueless as to how to even starting to consider going about that. I have acquired "Take Control of the Mac Command Line with Terminal (1.0.2)" and Apple's "ShellScripting" but both books seem to assume that I am keen to relinquish my mouse for the joy of incessant typing. And that I really want to take control of the command line. I don't at all want control of the command line at all - I'd just like it to do me a small favour.

So I think my question then becomes this.

Can I dynamically build a shell script that I can execute in Scriptmaster? And if so, how do I make this work in FMP?

Stephen

[Valentin]

Sorry if my answer is too simplistic.

But you would concatenate your shell commands in a text field and then pass that value to SM's runShellScript module as a parameter.

Please feel free to call or post here with more questions.