Script Automation

[OkieUnix]

I'm trying to write an perl code that will create a shell script be it bash, bourne, ksh or what ever it be. I'm having to read a spreadsheet and I'm using some Win32 OLE modules along with Write and Parse Excel modules. So I have that part down ok. But I'm trying to figure how to create or embed a template within the script that will write out the shell script I require. Let's say the spreadsheet contained /var/log as a field that the program read. Then I wanted the perl script to create a simple shell script. That do this: #!/bin/sh # df -k /var/log # end of script. Something like that. Have you got any suggestions?

[moritz]

For such a short script I wouldn't bother using a template, you can just use two print statements to generate such a shell script.

For longer/complexer scripts you could use Text::Template or one of the many other templating systems on cpan.

[OkieUnix]

Thanks, I will give that try as my scripts will be fairly long. I wanted a way to replicate the process.

[Zaxo]

Template Toolkit is my favorite template engine, it should do what you want.

[cdarke]

I'm not sure what you are asking for. Writing out a script from Perl is just like writing any other text file, except for things like execute access.
The code you give:

#!/bin/sh # df -k /var/log # end of script

will not work - unlike Perl, shells take a newline (or a ;) as a statement terminator - that line will be seen as one #! line:

#!/bin/sh 
# df -k /var/log 
# end of script

is just three lines of comments, so you should loose the second #.
Ever considered using Perl instead of the shell?

[andreas1234567]

There is an EYWTKATSADDTA (1) article over at apache.org which compares different templating systems.

(1) (Everything you wanted to know about templating systems and didn't dare to ask)