Help for C-L application-- Type, print, repeat (Just read)

[erikpiper]

Hi! I have a application request. My mom asked me to et something ready for tomorrow, (!! ](*,) ) for some people we have coming over.

Basicaly what I need, (Command line is fine) is a way for someone to come to the computer, start typing on the keyboard, press a key combo (Ex- Ctrl/R or anything) and have what they just typed print out, and the input screen clear for the next person. I would want it to need a key combo that I know to exit.

Another way to describe what I need. A blank screen, that you can type on (Think blank console waiting for a command) Nano like. (But only type.) They press a key combo when done, told to them prior to using the computer. When they press it, the text is printed through a USB printer, and the screen is reset to do it again.


Any way I can get this running in tonight/tommorow morning? Any recources too teach a complete newbie to programming how to do this would be GREATLY appriciated!!

Thanks!!!!!!

[aysiu]

Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly, but couldn't you just use OpenOffice Text, have them type in whatever they want and press this key combo?

Control-P Enter Control A Backspace

[erikpiper]

Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly, but couldn't you just use OpenOffice Text, have them type in whatever they want and press this key combo?

Control-P Enter Control A Backspace
But then it is running X, running Gnome, with my games, and everything else. I want it to be as simple as possible. We don't want people using the computer. Just typing something. Doing the exact thing in C/L is best. No temptation to look at the rest of the system! If I cannot get that working,I will use OO.ORG. (Thanks about the Ctrl A Backspace tip!)

It would be best if I could do the equivelent of (Control-P Enter Control A Backspace) with Ctrl-R or Ctrl-Alt-Q Or something. (One step)

Thanks.

[aysiu]

But then it is running X, running Gnome, with my games, and everything else. I want it to be as simple as possible. We don't want people using the computer. Just typing something. Doing the exact thing in C/L is best. No temptation to look at the rest of the system! If I cannot get that working,I will use OO.ORG. (Thanks about the Ctrl A Backspace tip!)

It would be best if I could do the equivelent of (Control-P Enter Control A Backspace) with Ctrl-R or Ctrl-Alt-Q Or something. (One step)

Thanks. Maybe you can create a new user account called temp. Then, get rid of everything in that user's menu and panel, blank out the wallpaper. Just have OpenOffice running as a maximized window. You can always deny read/write/execute permission to this user for every other folder but the one with OpenOffice in it.

[erikpiper]

Maybe you can create a new user account called temp. Then, get rid of everything in that user's menu and panel, blank out the wallpaper. Just have OpenOffice running as a maximized window. You can always deny read/write/execute permission to this user for every other folder but the one with OpenOffice in it.
That could work, but C/L Would be so much more elegant. I wish I knew how to code.... (I am working on fixing that)

How does one deny read/write/execute permission?

[aysiu]

You chmod the folder (type man chmod to find out more).

[erikpiper]

Is it possible to print from within a nano like C/L text edeitor? (Without saving) There has to be a way...

[aysiu]

Is it possible to print from within a nano like C/L text edeitor? (Without saving) There has to be a way... Not that I can see on the Nano page...

http://www.nano-editor.org/docs.html

[erikpiper]

I know it doesn't work in nano. At the moment I am searching google like mad to find an editor that does.

If I cant do this I will have to do what you suggested.

Thanks for your help!

[AnythingBut]

You can give this little shell script a shot. Pop this code in a text file and give it executable permissions.


#!/bin/sh

#Forever loop
while true
do

clear

echo "Type Away! (Finish with a "." on its own line)"

#Clear temp file
rm temp.txt

#User input loop
line="";
while [ "$line" != "." ]
do
echo "$line" >> temp.txt
read line
done

echo "Thanks. Now Printing"

lpr temp.txt

sleep 2

done

The user can stop by typing a period alone on a line.
It requires that the printer is your default printer.... but you can mess with the lpr command to get around that.

You still might want to create a new user since they can exit the script by hitting Cntrl+C and could then roam around.

Is this what you had in mind?

p.s.: It's licenced under the GPL ;-)

[erikpiper]

You can give this little shell script a shot. Pop this code in a text file and give it executable permissions.


#!/bin/sh

#Forever loop
while true
do

clear

echo "Type Away! (Finish with a "." on its own line)"

#Clear temp file
rm temp.txt

#User input loop
line="";
while [ "$line" != "." ]
do
echo "$line" >> temp.txt
read line
done

echo "Thanks. Now Printing"

lpr temp.txt

sleep 2

done

The user can stop by typing a period alone on a line.
It requires that the printer is your default printer.... but you can mess with the lpr command to get around that.

You still might want to create a new user since they can exit the script by hitting Cntrl+C and could then roam around.

Is this what you had in mind?

p.s.: It's licenced under the GPL ;-)
It looks good by looking at the code! Can anyone point me to a recource on learning how to make use of my new text file?

Lol.

Thanks! Erik,

[AnythingBut]

It looks good by looking at the code! Can anyone point me to a recource on learning how to make use of my new text file?

Lol.

Thanks! Erik,
Just google "Bash Scripting". Tonnes of resources out there.

[AnythingBut]

Can anyone point me to a recource on learning how to make use of my new text file?

Oh whoops. Do you mean how exactly to get it up an running? There's no compiling needed. Once you have the code in a file (the file must be plain text, not an Open Office Document or anything like that. gedit/nano works), for example "script.sh", in a terminal give it executable permission using "chmod a+x script.sh". You should then be able to run it. You have to run it a little differently than you do other things since it's not in any directory listed in the PATH environment variable. Run it by issuing a command which includes its location like "./script.sh" if you are in the same directory as it.

[Stormy Eyes]

In a console, have the guests type "vim" to start the editor. They can then press "i" to start typing, "ESC" when they are done, ":hardcopy" when they want to print, and then ":q!" when they are done to get back to the prompt.

[erikpiper]

Oh whoops. Do you mean how exactly to get it up an running? There's no compiling needed. Once you have the code in a file (the file must be plain text, not an Open Office Document or anything like that. gedit/nano works), for example "script.sh", in a terminal give it executable permission using "chmod a+x script.sh". You should then be able to run it. You have to run it a little differently than you do other things since it's not in any directory listed in the PATH environment variable. Run it by issuing a command which includes its location like "./script.sh" if you are in the same directory as it.
Thanks! I knew most of that. What I didn't know was how to give it executable priveliges. I am not very eloquent around midnight :) It worked great! Thank you so much for creating that for me!

[lakcaj]

Just for the hell of it, I made a pyglade (pygtk) GUI version of what you want... you can find it here:

http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3N5US804ITYLU2HM9SRZHECT50

You will need python, python-glade2, and python-gtk2. I think that should be all you need. It may be too late, but I wanted to learn to make a pygtk app anyway, and this was a good excuse.

Oh yeah, just extract it, chmod 755 the easy_print.py file, and then ./easy_print.py in the same directory as easy_print.py is in.