use ftp in shell script or program

[MatthewP]

I can get ftp working from the command line like so :

ftp -nv << eod
open <myaddress>
user <username> <password>
get <filename>
quit
eod

but if i put this in a shell script I get unknown host and unknown hostrb.net when they're exactly the same. Surely it must be possible to ftp through a shell script?

Thanks,
Matt.

 

[pcunix]

Sure, but not if you just put those lines in a script.

From

http://pcunix.com/SCOFAQ/scotec6.html#autoftp

How can I automate an ftp transfer?

There are actually numerous ways to do that. If your script is complex, I'd use Kermit.

*

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftpclient.html

*

http://www.columbia.edu/kermit/ftpscripts.html

You can also use &quot;here&quot; files:

HOST=xxx
FTPUSER=xxx
FTPPASSWORD=xxx
ftp -n $HOST <<-EOF
user $FTPUSER $FTPPASSWORD
cd /wherever
bin
prompt off
mget '*'
bye
EOF


Finally, ftp already has a scripting language built in to it. &quot;ncftp&quot; (available from Skunkware) has even more capability, but here's a basic .netrc (see man netrc) for normal ftp.

----$HOME/.netrc 600 perms --
machine somewhere.com login mylogin password mypass macdef
init
lcd /appl/fp/merge
cd /appx/data/50/XFR/Data
put artrx.tab TRXFER.dat
quit

machine someothermachine.org login whatever password pass macdef
init
hash
bin
prompt off

machine yetanother ...


The first example (somewhere.com) logs in, changes to a local directory /appl/fp/merge, then changes to /appx/data/50/XFR/Data on the server and &quot;puts&quot; a file.

With this in place, the command &quot;ftp somewhere.com&quot; will do the &quot;put&quot;. You could set &quot;prompt off&quot; and use &quot;mput&quot; or &quot;mget&quot; in the .netrc also.

The second just logs you in to &quot;someothermachine.org&quot; , turns on hash, etc. and then you can type your own commands.

You can fully script more complex things with:

#!/bin/ksh
echo &quot;machine somewhere.com login mylogin password mypass
macdef init&quot; > $HOME/.netrc
echo &quot;lcd /appl/fp/merge&quot; >> $HOME/.netrc
echo &quot;cd /appx/data/50/XFR/Data&quot; >> $HOME/.netrc
for i in *.tab
do
echo &quot;put $i ${i%tab}.dat&quot; >> $HOME/.netrc
done
echo &quot;quit&quot; >> $HOME/.netrc
echo &quot; &quot; >> $HOME/.netrc
# always end a macdef with a blank line
chmod 600 $HOME/.netrc
ftp somewhere.com
Tony Lawrence
SCO Unix/Linux Resources

http://pcunix.com

tony@pcunix.com

 

[gheist]

expect utility is simple to control a console program in background, although &quot;eod&quot; reminds me of &quot;FE&quot; where scp from openssh will be more appropriate

 

[MatthewP]

Thanks for your help. I'm new to this shell scripting lark - still trying to find a good book explaining the whole linux thing with all the ins and outs...
Matt.

 

[bgarlock]

If you are someone who learns by examples, may I suggest:

&quot;Linux Shells by Example&quot; by Ellie Quigley
ISBN: 0130147117 Bruce Garlock
bruceg@tiac.net

http://bruceg.dyndns.org