How to check if a file is open in editor?


 
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# 1  
Old 10-17-2017
How to check if a file is open in editor?

Hi there! I'm developing a program that allows the user to open and edit files using both an editor and the terminal. Once the user has finished editing the file an update is sent to the logbook that compares the file before and after it was edited - this can only be done if the file is closed (I think) to guarantee the user is finished editing it. Currently I am checking if the file is closed like this:
Code:
while : 
            do
                if pgrep -x "gedit" > /dev/null; then ###**NOT RELIABLE NEED TO CHANGE**###
                        tput cup 2 5 ; echo -e "${RED}           Can not update log until editor is closed!           ${NC}"
                    tput cup 3 5 ; echo -e "${boldon}Please finish editing your file and close gedit/text editor.${boldoff}"
                    sleep 1
                else
                    clear
                    updateLog
                fi
            done

This method does work but it isn't very effective as the if statement checks if ANY file is open in gedit - not the particular one the user has opened which is what I want to do. I played around with PID's and was unable to find a solution.

Is there a better way of doing this?

Thanks in advance,
-cherryTango
# 2  
Old 10-17-2017
Hi cherryTango,

Maybe you could try to looking for "inotifywait"

Bash script to check if a file is modified or not - Unix & Linux Stack Exchange

Hoping help you
# 3  
Old 10-17-2017
If you run the program in foreground instead of background, your program can simply wait for it instead of polling.

If you run it in background, you can save its PID with PID="$!" and poll for that specific PID.
# 4  
Old 10-17-2017
Did you consider using the -f option to pgrep and supplying the full command line includig the file name (within double quotes)?
# 5  
Old 10-17-2017
You can try using fuser and see if that helps:-
Code:
fuser -v ./filename ./.filename.swp

# 6  
Old 10-17-2017
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoda
You can try using fuser and see if that helps:-
Code:
fuser -v ./filename ./.filename.swp

This might work if the editor in question is indeed holding open the file. Most times this is perhaps the case but if i remember correctly some editors create a temporary file, work on this tempfile and only finally overwrite the original with the changed copy destroying the temp. In this (admittedly - probaby quite rare -) case one wouldn't see that in fuser.

I suppose there is no 100% sure method for this and using fuser is IMHO as close as it gets. But if you already know which editor(s) you want/need to deal with you could put a PID-file or some other marker somewhere and hold other processing as long as the marker remains.

I hope this helps.

bakunin
# 7  
Old 10-17-2017
Hi guys! Thanks for replying, I tried both:
Code:
xdg-open "$1"
PID="$!"
while : 
            do
                if ps -p $PID >/dev/null;
# Rest of code..

I also tried:
Code:
xdg-open "$1"
            while : 
            do
                if pgrep -f $currentPath/"$localFile" > /dev/null;
# Rest of code..

$currentPath=/tmp/Assignment1/Repository/Repository_Alpha
$localFile=example_file1.txt

Both solutions just ended the loop and called the updateLog function while the editor was open.

For the fuser solution not sure I understand what is meant by the
Quote:
./.filename.swp
Any further information would be great! Thank you!
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