autoexpect

Generate Expect scripts by recording interactive sessions

TLDR

Spawn a shell and generate a script from the session

$ autoexpect

Run a command and generate a script from it

$ autoexpect [command]

Generate a script and save to a specific file

$ autoexpect -f [path/to/file] [command]

Use prompt mode to match only the last line of output

$ autoexpect -p [command]

Use conservative mode with slight delays between characters

$ autoexpect -c [command]

SYNOPSIS

autoexpect [options] [command...]

autoexpect watches an interactive session and generates an Expect script that can replay the session automatically. It records user input and program responses, creating a script suitable for automating repetitive interactive tasks.The generated script is saved as script.exp by default. This script can be modified and reused to automate the recorded interaction.

PARAMETERS

-f file

Save the generated script to the specified file instead of script.exp.

-p

Enable prompt mode. Autoexpect only matches the last line of program output (usually the prompt), making scripts less sensitive to output changes.

-P key

Define a key to toggle prompt mode on and off during the session.

-c

Enable conservative mode. Autoexpect pauses briefly (one tenth of a second) before sending each character, improving reliability on slow systems.

-C key

Define a key to toggle conservative mode on and off during the session.

-Q key

Define a quote character to enter characters that autoexpect would otherwise consume as toggle keys.

-quiet

Disable informational messages produced by autoexpect.

INSTALL

sudo apt install expect

sudo dnf install expect

sudo pacman -S expect

sudo apk add expect

sudo zypper install expect

brew install expect

nix profile install nixpkgs#expect

CAVEATS

Generated scripts may need manual editing for robustness. Passwords and sensitive data entered during recording are captured in the script. The timing of interactions may need adjustment for reliable playback.

HISTORY

autoexpect is part of the Expect package, created by Don Libes at NIST. Expect was first released in 1990 and has been widely used for automating interactive applications.