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Microcom; What's this Script Feature?

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  Microcom; What's this Script Feature? "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2020-04-07 15:10 +0200
    Re: Microcom; What's this Script Feature? Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> - 2020-04-07 15:50 +0200
    Re: Microcom; What's this Script Feature? Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> - 2020-04-07 16:10 +0200
      Re: Microcom; What's this Script Feature? "Martin McCormick" <martin.m@suddenlink.net> - 2020-04-07 18:50 +0200

#221058 — Microcom; What's this Script Feature?

While working with Microcom, I tried the "help" feature while in
command mode and it works but there doesn't seem to be much other
information.  Here is a screen shot of a command I sent to a
serially-connected two-way radio followed by the Help screen for
microcom:  I put a * in front of the script command.


connected to /dev/ttyUSB4
Escape character: Ctrl-\
Type the escape character to get to the prompt.
VF 0162500000,0,0,0,0,0,0,00,00,000,00000000,0,0
Enter command. Try 'help' for a list of builtin commands
-> help
speed - set terminal speed
exit - exit from command processing
flow - set flow control
dtr - set dtr value
rts - set rts value
break - send break
quit - quit microcom
help - show help
* x - execute a script
log - log to file
# - comment
md - Display memory (i.MX specific)
mw - write memory (i.MX specific)
mwb - write memory byte (i.MX specific)
mwh - write memory 2 byte (i.MX specific)
upload - upload image (i.MX specific)
connect - sync communication to Processor (i.MX specific)
sniff - sniff and dissect communication from ATK (i.MX specific)
->

	Everything seems to work as far as I can tell but what
does a script look like?

	I am sure it's kind of like expect or the old kermit
scripts but I haven't yet been able to send anything it liked.

	The system I have been hacking on sends only carriage
returns in it's responses so what one gets on the screen is one
long line that gets over-written but that's no mystery.

	The unix convention of typing the Up-Arrow and starting
microcom is very handy since one does not have to type

microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600
each time.  Actually, I usually get away with !mic followed by
Enter and it starts.  Good work to everybody who created this
useful little terminal program.

Martin McCormick

WB5AGZ since Oct of 1969

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#221062

Martin McCormick wrote: 
> * x - execute a script
> 
> 	Everything seems to work as far as I can tell but what
> does a script look like?

man runscript

> 	The unix convention of typing the Up-Arrow and starting
> microcom is very handy since one does not have to type
> 
> microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600
> each time.  Actually, I usually get away with !mic followed by
> Enter and it starts.  Good work to everybody who created this
> useful little terminal program.

Time to learn the awesome power of Linux.

Three ways to do this:

1. shell script

Create a text file with the following two lines of code:

#!/bin/sh
exec microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600

Name it something short and memorable, like serial

Then

chmod a+rx serial

And from then on, it's a program you can run.

2. shell alias

Most shells have aliases available. In bash, you can stick them
in your .bashrc file. Add this line:

alias serial='microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600'

and then re-evaluate your .bashrc (which is done automatically
on login):

. .bashrc

Now you have a new command.

3. shell function

Most shells have functions available, too. The difference
between an alias and a function is that an alias is just a
substitution, but a function can take arguments and perform
complicated feats of logic. In this case, a function is
overkill, but it's still easy to drop in to your .bashrc.

function serial {
    microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600 
}


There you go.

-dsr-

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#221065

	Hi.

On Tue, Apr 07, 2020 at 08:08:26AM -0500, Martin McCormick wrote:
> 	Everything seems to work as far as I can tell but what
> does a script look like?

Judging from the source it it should open a text file on your side (i.e.
"x filename") and feed its contents line by line to the other side.
So whatever you'll write in the file is specific to the device you're
connecting to.

Reco

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#221071

I will reply to both excellent responses.  Thank you.
Dan Ritter <dsr@randomstring.org> writes:
> Time to learn the awesome power of Linux.
> 
> Three ways to do this:
> 
> 1. shell script
> 
> Create a text file with the following two lines of code:
> 
> #!/bin/sh
> exec microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600
> 
> Name it something short and memorable, like serial
> 
> Then
> 
> chmod a+rx serial
> 
> And from then on, it's a program you can run.
> 
> 2. shell alias
> 
> Most shells have aliases available. In bash, you can stick them
> in your .bashrc file. Add this line:
> 
> alias serial='microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600'
> 
> and then re-evaluate your .bashrc (which is done automatically
> on login):
> 
> . .bashrc
> 
> Now you have a new command.
> 
> 3. shell function
> 
> Most shells have functions available, too. The difference
> between an alias and a function is that an alias is just a
> substitution, but a function can take arguments and perform
> complicated feats of logic. In this case, a function is
> overkill, but it's still easy to drop in to your .bashrc.
> 
> function serial {
>     microcom -f -p/dev/ttyUSB4 -s9600
> }
> 
> 
> There you go.


Reco <recoverym4n@enotuniq.net> writes:
>         Hi.
> 
> Judging from the source it it should open a text file on your side (i.e.
> "x filename") and feed its contents line by line to the other side.
> So whatever you'll write in the file is specific to the device you're
> connecting to.
> 
> Reco

	I could have done a better job of frasing my question as
I love the power of unix and use shell scripts and aliases
all the time.

	What is confusing me about scripts in microcom is the
following situation:

	I wanted to output device-specific commands and at least
see the responses much like the send/expect pairs in the expect
utility or the OUTPUT and INPUT commands in kermit scripts.

	One starts the script while in the command mode of
microcom and it seems that your script should only contain
commands for microcom such as defining the port, speed, etc,
basically what the help screen says one can do.

	It doesn't seem like you can put device-specific commands
in the script file.

	I wrote a little script that exited command mode with the
exit command and then typed a command that was meant for the
device and then I typed x ./tester while in command mode.

	It ran the "exit" command which put one in the terminal
window.  You could type things then and each thing you type went
right to the device.  I then removed the exit command and left a
command for the device.

	It interpreted that command as being meant for microcom
so did not do anything but respond that it did not understand the
command.

	microcom does work with expect but can't see the Carriage
Returns at the end of the lines returned by the device.  If you
know how the response should end, expect does see the ASCII
characters and moves on.  Otherwise, one must allow a reasonable
time such as 1 second for the timeout.

	I was hoping there was some way to duplicate expect or
kermit with just the microcom app but this is not a show stopper
at all.  At least there is still a serial terminal that can talk
to devices whose only connection to the outside world is a RS-232
cable.

	Again, thanks for everybody's help.

Martin McCormick

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