I Want to make a shortcut to a terminal command

Question

Col1107 Author

Level 1

0 points

I Want to make a shortcut to a terminal command

I have a python script that I run in terminal but inorder to launch it I have to type:

~/Documents/python\ stuff

and then

python apps.py

I want to make a shortsut or app so I dont have to do that every time.

Thanks.

MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Dec 28, 2012 4:32 PM

Reply

Answer 1

BobHarris

Level 9

53,345 points

Dec 28, 2012 6:34 PM in response to Col1107

Do you

cd ~/Documents/python\ stuff

or is

~/Documents/python\ stuff

a program/script that you run first?

Can you enter:

python ~/Documents/python\ stuff/apps.py

Anyway, if you create a ~/.bash_profile shell initialization script, you can create any number of ways to run the python script.

nano ~/.bash_profile

will allow you to edit the shell initialization script.

Things you can create

myCommandName()
{
    (  cd ~/Documents/python\ stuff
       python apps.py

       #
       # or whatever commands you need to execute.
       #
    )
}

Save the .bash_profile, and restart you Terminal session so the .bash_profile shell initialization script is run as your shell startup in a new Terminal session.

if "python ~/Documents/python\ stuff/apps.py" works, then you could use

alias myCommandName "python ~/Documents/python\ stuff/apps.py"

again restart you Terminal session.

Reply

Answer 2

Col1107 Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 29, 2012 9:51 AM in response to BobHarris

Thanks for the quick reply, but I'm really not very advanced with terminal so.. I have no idea what you you just said. I was thinking that there may be a way to do it in AppleScripEditor and make an executable program. Is This possible?

Yes I do type:

   cd ~/Documents/python\ stuff

And

  python ~/Documents/python\ stuff/apps.py

does work.

When I tries to type in

alias apps "python ~/Documents/python\ stuff/python.py"

I get:

-bash: alias: apps: not found
-bash: alias: python ~/Documents/python\ stuff/python.py: not found

Thanks for any help!

Reply

Answer 3

BobHarris

Level 9

53,345 points

Dec 29, 2012 3:55 PM in response to Col1107

My bad. I messed up the 'alias' syntax. Try the following:

alias apps="python '~/Documents/python stuff/python.py'"

Once you have this in your .bash_profile, do not forget to restart your Terminal session.

Reply

Answer 4

Col1107 Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 30, 2012 7:19 PM in response to BobHarris

Im sorry I still don't understand. You'll have to talk to me like im 5.

So i go to terminal and i can type

python ~/Documents/python\ stuff/apps.py

and my program runs.

And then I type in

alias apps="python '~/Documents/python\ stuff/apps.py' "

and I get a new terminal command. I restart my terminal session.

Then what? If I type is "apps" I get:

-bash: apps: command not found

If I dont restart my terminal session After typing in the alias thing, I get:

/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Resources/Python.app/Contents/MacOS/Python: can't open file '~/Documents/python\ stuff/apps.py': [Errno 2] No such file or directory

Thanks again! Im sorry I don't understand.

Reply

Answer 5

BobHarris

Level 9

53,345 points

Dec 30, 2012 8:01 PM in response to Col1107

I restart my terminal session.

Then what? If I type is "apps" I get:
-bash: apps: command not found

The 'alias' command only lives in the current session. if you start a new Terminal session or Window, then you have a new session.

If you wish to have your 'alias' everytime you start a Terminal session or window, then you need to put the 'alias' command in a shell initialization file:

nano ~/.bash_profile

and add the 'alias' command here. Now everytime you start Terminal or a new Terminal window, the .bash_profile will be run, and your 'alias' will be defined.

Message was edited by: BobHarris

Reply