Run v2.1

Run is a small program which allows you to execute a shell command without opening a Terminal. It's also a Tracker add-on which executes commands using the current folder as the working directory.

Installation

Run v2.1 requires BeOS PR2 or later for PowerPC, or R3 or later for Intel.

To install the Tracker add-on, put the file Run-R into /boot/home/config/add-ons/Tracker/.

User's Guide

The file Run is an application. Launch the application, and a small window appears. Type a shell command into the input box and press return, or click the Run button. The command will be executed in the background (as though it had been typed at a terminal followed by &).

To use the add-on, type Cmd-Opt-R (or Alt-Opt-R) within a Tracker window, or select it from the Tracker's Add-Ons menu. The Tracker add-on is very useful for for managing files with shell commands like rm *.zip .

Run is now a replicant. Choose Show Replicants from the Be menu, and a little hand will appear in the Run window. Use it to drag the contents of the window onto a replicant shelf, such as the desktop, or the Container demo app.

You can't replicate the Tracker add-on. Due to an apparent Tracker bug, replicating from the add-on to the Desktop crashes the Tracker, so I temporarily disabled replication from the add-on in this version. I am talking to Be Developer Technical Support about this problem.

Miscellaneous

If you're familiar with Windows 95/NT, you may want to put Run in the Be menu. Simply put a link to Run into the folder /boot/home/config/be/.

Note: When using the Tracker add-on, remember that it uses the path of the current Tracker window, and ignores any folder or file icons which are selected inside that window.

The source code to Run is available at ftp://ftp.be.com/pub/contrib/util/run-source.zip (18K download). If you know the basics of BeOS programming and are interested in replicants or Tracker add-ons, this is some good sample code.

Run is completely free! You can use, modify, and distribute it however you want. No permission is necessary and no restrictions apply.

Known problems

• When more than one Run view is replicated to the same container, the button of the most recently added view becomes the default button for the whole window. This means that you may be typing in one replicant, but when you hit return, the other will be activated. Bad! I'm working on this one.
• Input is always truncated to 1024 characters. I don't forsee this being a problem for most people, but consider yourself warned.

Future plans

• Allow replication of Tracker add-on
• Implement a command history
• Command-line completion, ala bash

Lovingly hand-coded in Seattle, Washington USA. Please send comments, bug reports, or requests to the author: Matt Brubeck, <snoopy@wport.com>