Passing the URL to a script

[rahul-thakoor]

Hey there! Thank you so much for this awesome tool.

I am trying to use it in combination with a bash script. The idea is to pass the URL to the script which then starts chromium.

It calls the script: Running '/home/chromium/launch.sh https://akirodic.com/p/jellyfish/' but, the script cannot find the argument. I think it should be called like this /home/chromium/launch.sh "<URL>". Any idea how I can solve this? Thanks

[mozz100]

Hi Rahul

Good to hear of someone else using Tohora and balenaDash.

So I'm trying to understand you here. You're writing a script and you want to access the parameters (the URL)? I think inside your script you want to be using $1. See https://www.lifewire.com/pass-arguments-to-bash-script-2200571

Then, to pass the URL to tohora running on your balenaDash device, use curl. You'll need to make a POST request using -d and some data.

Does that help to point you on the right direction?

[mozz100]

Here's an example curl command for when you get on to that part:

curl -d "url=http://example.com/your-url-here/" http://address.of.your.device:8080/launch/

[rahul-thakoor]

hey Richard Yes I am doing that but $1 is always empty for some reason :(

[mozz100]

It sounds like your problem is in the realm of scripting, not tohora related. I'm keen to help you use tohora but I'm, well, I'm not an expert on bash/shell scripts. You might have better luck elsewhere trying to get the $1 issue solved. One approach I would suggest: break it down. Can you write a script that simply echos the first parameter back, like this?

$ cd /tmp
$ cat > myscript.sh
#!/bin/sh
echo $1
$ chmod +x myscript.sh
$ ./myscript.sh 'hello, world'
hello, world

[rahul-thakoor]

Thanks for getting back promptly Richard. Indeed, I already tested something like that. The thing is when I call it directly it works but when tohora calls the script with the URL it doesn't

Anyway, I will try to find a way. Thanks. Will keep you posted

[mozz100]

Wait, I think I understand you now: so you're starting tohora and passing something other than WPELauncher? That ought to work, I think, if you start tohora like this: tohora 80 your_script.sh

Although I've never tested it that way. Possibly the way tohora starts a subprocess doesn't create a shell or something. (code is in https://github.com/mozz100/tohora/blob/master/subprocess/subprocess.go)

What do the logs say (the output of tohora)?

[rahul-thakoor]

I think that's the issue. I just checked, and I am getting this: fork/exec /home/chromium/launch.sh: permission denied

[mozz100]

permission denied - you did make your script executable, right? chmod +x or similar

Please share your whole script and the exact steps you are following to obtain that message. Even then I'm not sure I'll be able to help, I'm afraid.

[rahul-thakoor]

It seems to work by adding - (make login shell) when starting chromium from the script

Thanks a lot, Richard! That was helpful

[rahul-thakoor]

I was doing this:

echo "chromium --kiosk --app=$1  --window-size=$WINDOW_SIZE --start-fullscreen" >> /home/chromium/xstart.sh

su -c 'startx /home/chromium/xstart.sh -- -nocursor' chromium

I changed the last line to : su -c 'startx /home/chromium/xstart.sh -- -nocursor' - chromium

Not entirely sure if that's what was causing the issue tbh. But it doesn't seem to be related to tohora, so im closing this. Sorry for the noise Richard