How do I call out to a command-line program from a gnome shell extension?

Question

I have written a simple shell script to accomplish a common task, and I want to be able to run it whenever a button is clicked. I've used gnome-shell-extension-tool to create the Hello World example already, but now I need to know how to simply have it run an arbitrary command when clicked. There is no input or output to be concerned with; it just needs to run.

Challenging

Answer 1

After some more creative googling, I've found the solution:

const Util = imports.misc.util;
Util.spawn(['/path/to/program', 'arg1', 'arg2'])

Challenging

Just a hint if anyone wants to execute a bash command with pipes. Use the whole command as arg2 so the second line should look like this: Util.spawn(['/bin/bash', '-c', "command 1 | command 2'"]) (Credits goes to Xavier Combelle: https://mcmap.net/q/1015813/-gnome-shell-extensions-how-to-run-a-command-with-pipes) – Shimmery

Hey, it's a bit late i know but would you please tell me what is the difference between GLib.spawn_.. and misc.util.spawn ? Thanks!! – Gilges

And how can i get the output of the command using misc.util.spawn? Thanks!! – Gilges

Answer 2

const GLib = imports.gi.GLib;
let stuff = GLib.spawn_command_line_sync("cat hello.txt")[1].toString();

For those looking to read the output of the command, use this. The default working directory for Gnome shell extensions is the user's home directory.

Just thought I'd mention these things, because it took me a while to figure them out.

Mapping

Thanks, that one working in prefs.js (Util couldn't be imported, I don't know why, it's really such a pain without a good reference handbook). – Nucleoplasm