FlowControl: Command Sequence Execution Framework

Overview

FlowControl is a C++ framework designed for interpreting and executing sequences of commands described in .flow files. This framework simulates shell command execution, including complex piping, redirection, and concatenation, tailored for Unix-like systems. It's an ideal tool for automating and testing command line operations, making it highly useful for developers and system administrators.

Features

• Command Execution: Directly execute Unix commands through structured scripts.
• Piping and Redirections: Supports complex piping (|) and redirections (>, 2>&1).
• Concatenations: Execute commands in sequence using concatenation (;).
• File Output Handling: Direct command outputs to files for logging and further processing.
• Error Handling: Advanced error redirection and handling for robust script testing.
• Automated Testing: Includes a Python script for automated testing against expected outputs.

Installation

Ensure you have GCC (supporting C++11 or later) and Python 3.x installed. Clone the repository and compile the source:

git clone https://yourrepositorylink.com/FlowControl.git
cd FlowControl
g++ -std=c++11 flow.cpp -o flow

Usage Guide

.flow files dictate the operations within the framework. Here’s how to structure these files:

Basic Command Node

Defines a single command operation.

node=ls_node
command=ls -l

Piping Output

Directs the output of one command to another.

node=echo_node
command=echo "Hello World"

node=wc_node
command=wc -w

pipe=echo_to_wc
from=echo_node
to=wc_node

Concatenating Commands

Executes multiple commands in sequence.

node=date_node
command=date

node=whoami_node
command=whoami

concatenate=system_info
parts=2
part_0=date_node
part_1=whoami_node

Error Handling Example

Redirects error output to another command.

node=mkdir_attempt
command=mkdir existing_dir

stderr=stdout_to_stderr_for_mkdir
from=mkdir_attempt

pipe=catch_errors
from=stdout_to_stderr_for_mkdir
to=word_count_node

File Output Handling

Captures the output of a command and writes it to a file.

node=list_files
command=ls

file=output_file
name=output.txt

pipe=process_pipe
from=list_files
to=output_file

Testing Framework

Run python3 run.py to test all .flow files in the files directory. This script compiles the program, runs tests, and saves results to TestResult_{DateTime}.txt.

Different Cases

• Case 0: A single command node.
• Case 1: Command output redirection to a file.
• Case 2: Piping commands.
• Case 3: Concatenating commands.
• Case 4: Error handling.
• Case 5: File input/output handling.
• Case 6: Complex command sequences.

To test:

1. Download and extract this repository.
2. Run python3 run.py
3. Open TestResult_{current_time}.txt for more information.

Test Cases

• 0: just one node in any .flow file
• 1: ls | wc // normal pipe
• 2: ls -l | wc // if - arguments can be handled properly
• 3: ls -l | ls // if pipe can be used for a "to" argument that doesn't take inputs
• 4: echo foo | cat // no quotes for argument
• 5: echo 'foo' | cat // single quotes
• 6: echo "foo" | cat // double quotes
• 7: echo 'f o o' | cat // quotes with space
• 8: ls ; pwd // normal concat
• 9: ls; ls ; ls -a // concat with more than 2 parts and also arguments
• 10: echo foo1 ; echo 'foo2' ; echo "foo3" ; echo 'f o o 4' // no quotes; double; single; spaces
• 11: ls | wc ; pwd // mix
• 12: ( cat foo.txt ; cat foo.txt | sed s/o/u/g ) | wc // complicated mix
• 13: ( seq 1 5 | awk '{print $1*$1}'; seq 1 5 | awk '{print $1*2}'; seq 1 5 | awk '{print $1+5}' ) | sort -n | uniq // extra credit - chatgpt - complicated with quotes, arguments, everything
• 14: mkdir a 2>&1 // b would not exist in the directory (calling stderr as action directly)
• 15: mldir a 2>&1 | wc // calling non-stderr as action
• 16: ls > output.txt
• 17: cat output.txt | wc