Can we capture the response of a terminal?

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aGerman
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Joined: 22 Jan 2010 18:01
Location: Germany

Can we capture the response of a terminal?

#1 Post by aGerman » 21 Sep 2021 10:31

There are control sequences that you can send to a virtual terminal emulator to request certain information. The response is written to the stdin which seems to make it quite difficult to read it in a Batch code. The example below is a small code which demonstrates what I'm talking about all along. It tries to capture the Device Attributes. I've chosen this because also the V2 console (Win 10) sends a response to this request. (So, it's not necessary to have Windows Terminal or any other 3rd party terminal installed.)

My question: Is there a possibility to get the response string captured in a variable or file without any further user interaction? I'm pretty sure this can be done with the aid of another scripting language like PowerShell. However, I'd like to know if there is a pure Batch solution in the first place.

Steffen

Code: Select all

@echo off &setlocal
for /f %%i in ('echo prompt $E^|cmd') do set "ESC=%%i"
set "CSI=%ESC%[" &REM Control Sequence Introducer
set "wr=<nul set /p =" &REM write without new line
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

echo(
echo Press [Enter] to capture the value ...
set "devattr="
:: send the sequence using the prompt of SET /P and use the behavior of SET /P to wait for input at the same time
:: however, the response isn't assigned without pressing Enter
set /p "devattr=%CSI%c"
echo "%devattr:~3,-1%"
pause

echo(
echo Press [Enter], [Ctrl]+[Z], [Enter] to capture the value ...
set "devattr="
:: send the sequence
%wr%%CSI%c
:: print the buffer of the console input device using TYPE
:: however, the input stream does not have an EOF which is the reason why [Ctrl]+[Z] is necessary to interrupt the stream processing
for /f "delims=" %%i in ('type conin$') do set "devattr=%%i"
echo "%devattr:~3,-1%"
pause

echo(
echo Press [Enter], [Ctrl]+[Z], [Enter] to capture the value ...
set "devattr="
:: send the sequence
%wr%%CSI%c
:: pretty much the same behavior here, the stream has no EOF and the copy command is waiting for more input
copy conin$ "devattr.~tmp"
<"devattr.~tmp" set /p "devattr="
del "devattr.~tmp"
echo "%devattr:~3,-1%"
pause

T3RRY
Posts: 243
Joined: 06 May 2020 10:14

Re: Can we capture the response of a terminal?

#2 Post by T3RRY » 21 Sep 2021 11:20

aGerman wrote:
21 Sep 2021 10:31
There are control sequences that you can send to a virtual terminal emulator to request certain information. The response is written to the stdin which seems to make it quite difficult to read it in a Batch code. The example below is a small code which demonstrates what I'm talking about all along. It tries to capture the Device Attributes. I've chosen this because also the V2 console (Win 10) sends a response to this request. (So, it's not necessary to have Windows Terminal or any other 3rd party terminal installed.)

My question: Is there a possibility to get the response string captured in a variable or file without any further user interaction? I'm pretty sure this can be done with the aid of another scripting language like PowerShell. However, I'd like to know if there is a pure Batch solution in the first place.

Steffen

Code: Select all

@echo off &setlocal
for /f %%i in ('echo prompt $E^|cmd') do set "ESC=%%i"
set "CSI=%ESC%[" &REM Control Sequence Introducer
set "wr=<nul set /p =" &REM write without new line
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

echo(
echo Press [Enter] to capture the value ...
set "devattr="
:: send the sequence using the prompt of SET /P and use the behavior of SET /P to wait for input at the same time
:: however, the response isn't assigned without pressing Enter
set /p "devattr=%CSI%c"
echo "%devattr:~3,-1%"
pause

echo(
echo Press [Enter], [Ctrl]+[Z], [Enter] to capture the value ...
set "devattr="
:: send the sequence
%wr%%CSI%c
:: print the buffer of the console input device using TYPE
:: however, the input stream does not have an EOF which is the reason why [Ctrl]+[Z] is necessary to interrupt the stream processing
for /f "delims=" %%i in ('type conin$') do set "devattr=%%i"
echo "%devattr:~3,-1%"
pause

echo(
echo Press [Enter], [Ctrl]+[Z], [Enter] to capture the value ...
set "devattr="
:: send the sequence
%wr%%CSI%c
:: pretty much the same behavior here, the stream has no EOF and the copy command is waiting for more input
copy conin$ "devattr.~tmp"
<"devattr.~tmp" set /p "devattr="
del "devattr.~tmp"
echo "%devattr:~3,-1%"
pause

Jeb's solved this one a while ago, solution at topic: viewtopic.php?t=9454

A modified version of the above linked function that can be used to capture the return from the different supported sequences:

Code: Select all

@echo off & CD "%TEMP%"
 RD "%~n0_run" 2> nul && Timeout 1 > nul
 MD "%~n0_run"
 PUSHD "%~n0_run"
 Setlocal
 for /F %%e in ('Echo(prompt $E^|cmd') do set "ESC=%%e"
 call :get_response c c $Dev.Attribs
 call :get_response 6n R $Cursor.pos

 Set $
 Endlocal
 POPD
exit /b

:# Original Author : Jeb - https://www.dostips.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9454
:get_response <sequence> <terminator character> <ReturnVar>
:# Attribs     0c         c
:# CursorPos   6n         R

:# https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/console/console-virtual-terminal-sequences#query-state

 set "response="
 set pos=2

:_get_loop
REM *** VT request
<nul set /p "=%ESC%[%1" 
 FOR /L %%# in (1 1 %pos%) DO pause < CON > NUL
 for /F "tokens=1 skip=1 eol=" %%C in ('"REPLACE /W ? . < con"') DO (
  set "char=%%C"
 )
 set "response=%response%%char:?=%"
 set /a pos+=1
 if "%char%" NEQ "%2" goto :_get_loop

 set "response=%response:~0,-1%"
 set "%3=%response%" 2> nul
exit /b
Last edited by T3RRY on 21 Sep 2021 11:31, edited 1 time in total.

aGerman
Expert
Posts: 4654
Joined: 22 Jan 2010 18:01
Location: Germany

Re: Can we capture the response of a terminal?

#3 Post by aGerman » 21 Sep 2021 11:28

Thanks T3RRY! I din't recognize that this thread is a dup of viewtopic.php?t=9454 :lol:

Steffen

T3RRY
Posts: 243
Joined: 06 May 2020 10:14

Re: Can we capture the response of a terminal?

#4 Post by T3RRY » 21 Sep 2021 11:34

aGerman wrote:
21 Sep 2021 11:28
Thanks T3RRY! I din't recognize that this thread is a dup of viewtopic.php?t=9454 :lol:

Steffen
No worries, Just glad I remebered something for once.

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