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open application with spaces in name [bash][OSX]

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Top Forums Shell Programming and Scripting open application with spaces in name [bash][OSX]
# 1  
Old 07-27-2012
Question open application with spaces in name [bash][OSX]
Hi guys, I'm new here and new to shell scripting so don't be hard on me

I'm trying to create a bash script to restart a process by name in Mac OSX.

I have no problem killing the application, the problem comes when launching it again.
I managed to store the path in a variable lets say

Code:
 /Applications/Google Chrome

later when I try to open the app I do this:

Code:
open $path.app

this works good for applications with no spaces on their names, however with spaced ones, like Google Chrome I get this as output:

Code:
The file /Users/myuser/Chrome.app does not exist.

I tried several quoting configurations and I get stuff like

Code:
The file /Users/myuser/   /Application/Google Chrome.app does not exist.
The file /Users/myuser/"/Application/Google Chrome.app" does not exist.

If someone can give me a hand, I'll appreciate it
# 2  
Old 07-27-2012
Bug try quoting the path in double quotes..
Code:
1)  
cd "/Users/myuser/Application/Google Chrome.app"

2) 
df_p="/Users/myuser/Application/Google Chrome.app"
cd "$df_p"

# 3  
Old 07-27-2012
Or escape the spaces:
Code:
cd /Users/myuser/Application/Google\ Chrome.app

# 4  
Old 07-27-2012
Sorry, I should have said this, the directory I try to access is not

Code:
/Users/myuser/Applcations/

but the root one:

Code:
/Applications/

that's why my path is /Applications/Google Chrome



tried double quoting but still get this:

Code:
The file /Users/myuser/Chrome.app does not exist.

---------- Post updated at 12:02 PM ---------- Previous update was at 11:39 AM ----------

I'll try to explain better myself

my path variable do a command that with a query of "Google C" outputs this:
Code:
   /Applications/Google Chrome.app

when I do:
Code:
open $path

works like a charm with names with no spaces like:
Code:
/Applications/Burn.app

But when the name have spaces it seems like it misleads the search to my user application directory:
Code:
The file /Users/myuser/Chrome.app does not exist.

when I use the doble quotes even the single named Applications get mislead to my user directory

Code:
open "$path"
The file /Users/jonathanwiesel/   /Applications/Burn.app does not exist.
The file /Users/jonathanwiesel/   /Applications/Google Chrome.app does not exist

# 5  
Old 07-27-2012
I don't think the contents of your variable are what you think they are.

1) Show your code, please, all of it.
2) Don't use 'path' or 'PATH' as variable names, PATH is a special variable controlling where commands are found, changing it will cause problems.
# 6  
Old 07-27-2012
Code:
p={query}
number=$(ps aux | grep "${p}" | grep -v grep | wc -l)

path=$(ps -A | grep "${p}" | grep -v grep | awk '{$1=$2=$3=""; print  $0 }' | awk -F.app '{ print $1 }' | uniq )

if [[ $number -gt 0 ]]
then
	sudo killall "${p}"
	sleep 1 
	open $path.app
	echo ""${p}" - Process Restarted";
else
	echo ""${p}" - Not Running"
fi

{query} is argument I pass thru an app launcher called Alfredapp, it's like Quicksilver.

I tried changing the variable's name but no luck
# 7  
Old 07-27-2012
The way you're setting path is clearly injecting leading spaces. So when an application without spaces, using unquoted expansion, the variable containing path=" someapp" would expand from open $path to open someapp. because of word splitting the leading/trailing whitespace are gone.

now you want to preserve spaces in your variable, and you quote the expansion.... those spaces are still there as i can tell from
Code:
The file /Users/jonathanwiesel/   /Applications/Burn.app does not exist.

So the fault is with how you are obtaining that variable.

I do not use Mac OS X but I assume ps takes BSD options. You can have it print just the command line! Is pgrep available? I'd suggest using pgrep to get the pids of matching processes, then use ps -p $pid -o cmd=
Last edited by neutronscott; 07-27-2012 at 02:43 PM..
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