Sending an event from another bash shell

Shell Programming and Scripting
1

I have two BASH shells and would like to send data from one to the other. To achieve this, I have thought the following:
1) Shell #1 runs a script in order to create the file "output.out" with the data.
2) Meanwhile Shell #2 is waiting for "output.out" is created for starting with a second script later.

My question is: when "output.out" is created, how can I send an event to Shell #2 so it can start with the second script?

I tried this:
While Shell #1 is running, Shell #2 is executing this script:

while [ ! -e output.out ]; do sleep 0.1; done
# Second script starts here...

But since I'm doing a heavy simulation, I cannot use this solution! What I need is to send an event to Shell #2...

Any help will be really appreciated!

2

Put your logic into a function, which gets called by trap when you send a SIGUSR. In the main body, run an infinite loop that just idles along. From your first script, send the signal using kill as soon as output.out has been created.

3

You could create a named pipe and use that to communicate between the two. Create the file mkfifo pipe_name, with one shell, cat some_file > pipe_name. It will appear to hang, with second shell, cat pipe_name and the output will be displayed and the first shell will complete.

Now with the second shell, cat pipe_name, this will appear to hang. With the first shell, cat some_file > pipe_name. The output will be displayed in the second.

That may seem clear as mud.

4

Thanks a lot peterro! Definitely this is the best and clear way to do it! But now I have another question... what to do if I don't want to display the file content on the shell?

Many thanks in advance!

----
PS: Thanks pludi for your reply!... sorry for the ignorance (as you can see, I'm a beginner in the unix universe)... you say: "run an infinite loop that just idles along"... if I do an infinite loop, it will force the processor, isn't it?

Thanks in advance!

---------- Post updated at 03:56 PM ---------- Previous update was at 03:52 PM ----------

Thanks pludi for your reply!... sorry for the ignorance (as you can see, I'm a beginner in the unix universe)... you say: "run an infinite loop that just idles along"... if I do an infinite loop, it will force the processor, isn't it?

Thanks in advance!

5

For use in a script, you could use echo > $pipe_file or read some_var < $pipe_file

6

Thanks you very much!

Ok, I tried with the second one:
At shell #2... read < $pipe_file
At shell #1... cat output.out > $pipe_file

I know it works... but would like to know if this is what you want to say. :o
(I don't want to "hack" the commands)

Thank you!

7

Yup. It's just like reading/writing to any typical flat file. The named pipe just has some useful properties for purposes such as this. See Chapter 14 in Expert Shell Scripting (Apress)